Hadronic atoms and ticklish nuclei: the E2 nuclear resonance effect

The E2 nuclear resonance effect in hadronic atoms offers a way to increase the hadronic information that can be obtained from hadronic x-ray experiments. The effect occurs when an atomic deexcitation energy closely matches a nuclear excitation energy, so that some configuration mixing occurs. It shows up as an attenuation of some of the hadronic x-ray lines from a resonant versus a normal isotope target. The effect was observed very clearly in pionic cadmium in a recent LAMPF experiment. A planned LAMPF experiment will use the nuclear resonance effect to determine whether the p-wave π-nucleus interaction does indeed become repulsive for Z greater than or equal to 35 as predicted. The effect also appears in the kaonic molybdenum data taken at LBL because several of the stable molybdenum isotopes are resonant. A number of promising cases for π-, K-, anti p, and Σ- atoms are discussed and a spectacular and potentially very informative experiment on anti p-100Mo is proposed. (9 figures, 9 tables) (U.S.)