Hypernuclei and interactions of kaons with nuclei

Recent experimental and theoretical progress in hypernuclear physics is reviewed. Different models for hyperon-nucleus central and spin-orbit potentials are compared: several models yield a very small spin-orbit strength for the Δ, as experimentally observed, but differ considerably in their predictions for the Σ. The new data on the 13-ΛC hypernuclear spectrum, as obtained in the (K-,π-) strangeness exchange reaction at 800 MeV/c, are discussed. We show how one extracts constraints on the Λ-nucleus and effective Λ-nucleon interactions from the data. The new BNL data on the (K-,π+) reaction at 720 MeV/c, leading to Σ-hypernuclear states, are examined. We elucidate the case of 6Li(K-,π+)6sub(Σ)H in some detail, and also present some speculations concerning the (K-,π+) reaction on other targets. We analyze the physical mechanisms which may lead to unusually narrow Σ excitations in some systems. Finally, we review the physics motivations for several future hyper-nuclear experiments which are already under development, such as (K-,π-γ) and (π+sub(-),K+) studies, or under preliminary consideration, for instance, the (K-,K+) reaction producing S = -2 hypernuclei. (orig.)