We discuss the production of doubly strange ΛΛ hypernuclei in ${\mathrm{\Xi }}^{\mathrm{-}}$ atomic capture. The two-body ${\mathrm{\Xi }}^{\mathrm{-}}$${+}^6$Li${\to }_{\mathrm{\Lambda }\mathrm{\Lambda }}^6$He+n reaction is a relatively favorable case, with a yield of order 3%. For heavier p-shell targets, such as ${}_{}{}^{14}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{N}$, the (1${\mathit{s}}_{\mathrm{\Lambda }}$${)}^2$ ground-state yields in the ${\mathrm{\Xi }}^{\mathrm{-}}$${+}^{\mathit{A}}$Z${\to }_{\mathrm{\Lambda }\mathrm{\Lambda }}^{\mathit{A}}$(Z-1)+n reaction are suppressed, and states of (1${\mathit{s}}_{\mathrm{\Lambda }}$1${\mathit{p}}_{\mathrm{\Lambda }}$) structure, coupled to an excited nuclear core, are preferentially populated.

• Received 8 May 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.2268