Precision measurement of the $3d\to 2p$ x-ray energy in kaonic ${}^4$He

Abstract

We have measured the Balmer-series x-rays of kaonic ${}^4$He atoms using novel large-area silicon drift x-ray detectors in order to study the low-energy $\bar{K}$-nucleus strong interaction. The energy of the $3d\to 2p$ transition was determined to be 6467 $\pm$ 3 (stat) $\pm$ 2 (syst) eV. The resulting strong-interaction energy-level shift is in agreement with theoretical calculations, thus eliminating a long-standing discrepancy between theory and experiment.

12 pages, 4 figues, submitted to Physics Letters B