Creation and decay of eta-mesic nuclei

First experimental results on photoproduction of eta-mesic nuclei are analyzed. In an experiment performed at the 1 GeV electron synchrotron of the Lebedev Physical Institute, correlated pi+n pairs arising from the reaction gamma + 12C -> N + eta(A-1) -> N + pi+ + n + (A-2) and flying transversely to the photon beam have been observed. When the photon energy exceeds the eta-meson production threshold, a distribution of the pi+n pairs over their total energy is found to have a peak in the subthreshold region of the internal-conversion process eta p -> pi+ n which signals about formation of eta-mesic nuclei.