The kaonic atoms research program at DAΦNE: overview and perspectives

The interaction of antikaons with nucleons and nuclei in the low-energy regime represents an active research field in hadron physics with still many important open questions. The investigation of light kaonic atoms is, in this context, a unique tool to obtain precise information on this interaction. The energy shift and broadening of the lowest-lying states of such atoms, induced by the kaon-nucleus strong interaction, can be determined with high precision from atomic X-ray spectroscopy. This experimental method provides unique information to understand the low energy kaon-nucleus interaction at threshold. The lightest atomic systems, kaonic hydrogen and kaonic deuterium, deliver the isospin-dependent kaon-nucleon scattering lengths. The most precise kaonic hydrogen measurement to date, together with an exploratory measurement of kaonic deuterium, were carried out by the SIDDHARTA collaboration at the DAΦNE electron-positron collider of LNF-INFN, by combining the excellent quality kaon beam delivered by the collider with new experimental techniques, as fast and precise X-ray detectors: Silicon Drift Detectors. The measurement of kaonic deuterium will be realized in the near future by SIDDHARTA-2, a major upgrade of SIDDHARTA. In this paper an overview of the main results obtained by SIDDHARTA together with the future plans, are given. (paper)