Two bodies $A$ and $B$ of mass $m$ and $2m$ respectively are placed on a smooth floor. They are connected by a spring of negligible mass. A third body $C$ of mass m is placed on the floor. The body $C$ moves with a velocity $v_0$ along the line joining $A$ and $B$ and collides elastically with $A$. At a certain time after the collision it is found that the instantaneous velocities of $A$ and $B$ are same and the compression of the spring is $x_0$. The spring constant $k$ will be