Confronting $K^-d$ dynamics with kaonic atom measurements within a novel unitary framework

Abstract

We study the low-energy interaction of negative kaons with deuterons using chiral $\bar{K}N$ interaction models (OR and BCN) as input. The three-body $K^-d$ amplitude is constructed within the Fixed-Center Approximation to the Faddeev equations, where the unitary constraints missing in the conventional approach are formally implemented with the incorporation of coherent multiple-scattering processes. The unitary procedure is extended to coupled channels including charge-exchange processes, as well as isospin-breaking effects through the use of physical particle masses. This provides a consistent description of the low-energy $K^-d$ amplitude and allows for the determination of the scattering length and the effective range. The resulting framework is then used to assess the compatibility of the BCN $\bar{K}N$ interaction model with the recent SIDDHARTA-2 measurements of kaonic hydrogen and kaonic deuterium through a bootstrap analysis. The procedure leads to a readjustment of the BCN parameterization which produces visible effects in several isospin-sensitive $\bar{K}N$ scattering observables, hence highlighting the additional information provided by the new kaonic-atom measurements to better constrain the poorly known isovector component of the ${\bar K}N$ interaction.