The production and decay of hypernuclei

Hypernuclei have been studied for the last 35 years using several techniques. Since 1970, the AZ (K−, π−)AΛZ strangeness‐exchange reaction has been used at CERN, BNL and KEK to produce hypernuclei and study their spectroscopic properties. These studies also include experiments where decay gamma rays and hypernuclear weak decay products are detected in coincidence with hypernuclear production. Recent experiments at BNL and KeK have proven the utility of the AZ (π+, K+)AΛZ reaction to study hypernuclear spectroscopy. Although I have no hope of covering this field in much detail, I write this paper as an introduction to the subject and highlight some of the recent experimental developments.