Stars and Cats: from exotic atoms studies to impossible atoms hunting to explore the Universe

General ILL Seminar organised by College 3
Friday, 14 October 2022 at 11h00

Zoom link: https://ill.zoom.us/j/96015404162?pwd=bmZEYXFYU3ZYa1YrVGFhQ20xVG5XQT09
Passcode: 744680

Catalina Curceanu
Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati dell’INFN, Via E. Fermi 40, 00044 Frascati (Roma), Italy
Contact email: Catalina.Curceanu@lnf.infn.it

I shall present a series of frontier experiments measuring X rays coming from exotic atoms produced at accelerators and from impossible atomic transitions we are searching for in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory and which might exist if the actual Quantum Mechanics theory is only an approximation of a theory yet to be discovered.
In the first part of the talk I shall introduce the studies of kaonic atoms in the framework of the SIDDHARTA collaboration at the DAFNE Collider at the LNF-INFN, Frascati (Roma) laboratory. Combining the excellent quality kaon beam delivered by the DANE collider with new experimental techniques, as fast and very precise X ray detectors, like the Silicon Drift Detectors, we have performed unprecedented measurements on kaonic hydrogen and helium. Presently, a major upgrade of the setup, SIDDHARTA-2 was realized and was installed on DAFNE with the aim to perform the first ever kaonic deuterium measurement; I shall present the first results obtained, while optimizing the setup. Kaonic atoms studies represent an opportunity to unlock the secrets of the strong interaction in the strangeness sector and understand the role of strangeness in the Universe, from nuclei to the stars.
In the second part of the talk, I shall present the VIP experiment and very recent results coming from the LNGS underground laboratory, where we are searching for “impossible atoms”, i.e. atoms prohibited by the Pauli Exclusion principle, which may exist in theories beyond the Standard Model (such as some Quantum Gravity models). Also, I shall discuss the search of the so-called spontaneous radiation linked to collapse models proposed to solve the “measurement problem” (Schroedinger’ cat paradox) and the interplay with gravity, presenting our recent limits on these models and future plans.

Caterina Michelagnoli (College 3 Secretary)