1
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Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Christensen A, Collister R, Mathad AC, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Grandemange P, Granum P, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Hodgkinson D, Hunter E, Isaac CA, Johnson MA, Jones JM, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Khramov A, Knapp P, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Mullan PS, Munich JJ, Olchanski K, Olin A, Peszka J, Powell A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Starko DM, So C, Stutter G, Tharp TD, Thibeault A, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Laser cooling of antihydrogen atoms. Nature 2021; 592:35-42. [PMID: 33790445 PMCID: PMC8012212 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03289-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The photon-the quantum excitation of the electromagnetic field-is massless but carries momentum. A photon can therefore exert a force on an object upon collision1. Slowing the translational motion of atoms and ions by application of such a force2,3, known as laser cooling, was first demonstrated 40 years ago4,5. It revolutionized atomic physics over the following decades6-8, and it is now a workhorse in many fields, including studies on quantum degenerate gases, quantum information, atomic clocks and tests of fundamental physics. However, this technique has not yet been applied to antimatter. Here we demonstrate laser cooling of antihydrogen9, the antimatter atom consisting of an antiproton and a positron. By exciting the 1S-2P transition in antihydrogen with pulsed, narrow-linewidth, Lyman-α laser radiation10,11, we Doppler-cool a sample of magnetically trapped antihydrogen. Although we apply laser cooling in only one dimension, the trap couples the longitudinal and transverse motions of the anti-atoms, leading to cooling in all three dimensions. We observe a reduction in the median transverse energy by more than an order of magnitude-with a substantial fraction of the anti-atoms attaining submicroelectronvolt transverse kinetic energies. We also report the observation of the laser-driven 1S-2S transition in samples of laser-cooled antihydrogen atoms. The observed spectral line is approximately four times narrower than that obtained without laser cooling. The demonstration of laser cooling and its immediate application has far-reaching implications for antimatter studies. A more localized, denser and colder sample of antihydrogen will drastically improve spectroscopic11-13 and gravitational14 studies of antihydrogen in ongoing experiments. Furthermore, the demonstrated ability to manipulate the motion of antimatter atoms by laser light will potentially provide ground-breaking opportunities for future experiments, such as anti-atomic fountains, anti-atom interferometry and the creation of antimatter molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Baker
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C Carruth
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Christensen
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - A Cridland Mathad
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Evans
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P Grandemange
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - P Granum
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - W N Hardy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - D Hodgkinson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - E Hunter
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - J M Jones
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S A Jones
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Khramov
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P Knapp
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | | | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - J T K McKenna
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - J M Michan
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - T Momose
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - P S Mullan
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - J J Munich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - A Olin
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J Peszka
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Powell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - P Pusa
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Experimental Physics Department, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - E Sarid
- Soreq NRC, Yavne, Israel
- Department of Physics, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - D M Silveira
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - D M Starko
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - C So
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - A Thibeault
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Faculté de Génie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - R I Thompson
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - D P van der Werf
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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2
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Granum P, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Hunter ED, Isaac CA, Johnson MA, Jones JM, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Khramov A, Knapp P, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Munich JJ, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, So C, Starko DM, Stutter G, Tharp TD, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Investigation of the fine structure of antihydrogen. Nature 2020; 578:375-380. [PMID: 32076225 PMCID: PMC7162817 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2006-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
At the historic Shelter Island Conference on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics in 1947, Willis Lamb reported an unexpected feature in the fine structure of atomic hydrogen: a separation of the 2S1/2 and 2P1/2 states1. The observation of this separation, now known as the Lamb shift, marked an important event in the evolution of modern physics, inspiring others to develop the theory of quantum electrodynamics2-5. Quantum electrodynamics also describes antimatter, but it has only recently become possible to synthesize and trap atomic antimatter to probe its structure. Mirroring the historical development of quantum atomic physics in the twentieth century, modern measurements on anti-atoms represent a unique approach for testing quantum electrodynamics and the foundational symmetries of the standard model. Here we report measurements of the fine structure in the n = 2 states of antihydrogen, the antimatter counterpart of the hydrogen atom. Using optical excitation of the 1S-2P Lyman-α transitions in antihydrogen6, we determine their frequencies in a magnetic field of 1 tesla to a precision of 16 parts per billion. Assuming the standard Zeeman and hyperfine interactions, we infer the zero-field fine-structure splitting (2P1/2-2P3/2) in antihydrogen. The resulting value is consistent with the predictions of quantum electrodynamics to a precision of 2 per cent. Using our previously measured value of the 1S-2S transition frequency6,7, we find that the classic Lamb shift in antihydrogen (2S1/2-2P1/2 splitting at zero field) is consistent with theory at a level of 11 per cent. Our observations represent an important step towards precision measurements of the fine structure and the Lamb shift in the antihydrogen spectrum as tests of the charge-parity-time symmetry8 and towards the determination of other fundamental quantities, such as the antiproton charge radius9,10, in this antimatter system.
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3
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Hunter ED, Isaac CA, Johnson MA, Jones JM, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Khramov A, Knapp P, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Munich JJ, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Starko DM, Stutter G, So C, Tharp TD, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Observation of the 1S-2P Lyman-α transition in antihydrogen. Nature 2018; 561:211-215. [PMID: 30135588 PMCID: PMC6786973 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0435-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In 1906, Theodore Lyman discovered his eponymous series of transitions in the extreme-ultraviolet region of the atomic hydrogen spectrum1,2. The patterns in the hydrogen spectrum helped to establish the emerging theory of quantum mechanics, which we now know governs the world at the atomic scale. Since then, studies involving the Lyman-α line-the 1S-2P transition at a wavelength of 121.6 nanometres-have played an important part in physics and astronomy, as one of the most fundamental atomic transitions in the Universe. For example, this transition has long been used by astronomers studying the intergalactic medium and testing cosmological models via the so-called 'Lyman-α forest'3 of absorption lines at different redshifts. Here we report the observation of the Lyman-α transition in the antihydrogen atom, the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen. Using narrow-line-width, nanosecond-pulsed laser radiation, the 1S-2P transition was excited in magnetically trapped antihydrogen. The transition frequency at a field of 1.033 tesla was determined to be 2,466,051.7 ± 0.12 gigahertz (1σ uncertainty) and agrees with the prediction for hydrogen to a precision of 5 × 10-8. Comparisons of the properties of antihydrogen with those of its well-studied matter equivalent allow precision tests of fundamental symmetries between matter and antimatter. Alongside the ground-state hyperfine4,5 and 1S-2S transitions6,7 recently observed in antihydrogen, the Lyman-α transition will permit laser cooling of antihydrogen8,9, thus providing a cold and dense sample of anti-atoms for precision spectroscopy and gravity measurements10. In addition to the observation of this fundamental transition, this work represents both a decisive technological step towards laser cooling of antihydrogen, and the extension of antimatter spectroscopy to quantum states possessing orbital angular momentum.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ahmadi
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - B X R Alves
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C J Baker
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C Carruth
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S Cohen
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | | | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Evans
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - W N Hardy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - E D Hunter
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - J M Jones
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S A Jones
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Khramov
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P Knapp
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | | | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | | | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - J M Michan
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - T Momose
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - J J Munich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - A Olin
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P Pusa
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | - D M Silveira
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - D M Starko
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C So
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - R I Thompson
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - D P van der Werf
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- IRFU, CEA/Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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4
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Isaac CA, Johnson MA, Jones JM, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Khramov A, Knapp P, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Momose T, Munich JJ, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Stutter G, So C, Tharp TD, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Characterization of the 1S-2S transition in antihydrogen. Nature 2018; 557:71-75. [PMID: 29618820 PMCID: PMC6784861 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0017-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In 1928, Dirac published an equation 1 that combined quantum mechanics and special relativity. Negative-energy solutions to this equation, rather than being unphysical as initially thought, represented a class of hitherto unobserved and unimagined particles-antimatter. The existence of particles of antimatter was confirmed with the discovery of the positron 2 (or anti-electron) by Anderson in 1932, but it is still unknown why matter, rather than antimatter, survived after the Big Bang. As a result, experimental studies of antimatter3-7, including tests of fundamental symmetries such as charge-parity and charge-parity-time, and searches for evidence of primordial antimatter, such as antihelium nuclei, have high priority in contemporary physics research. The fundamental role of the hydrogen atom in the evolution of the Universe and in the historical development of our understanding of quantum physics makes its antimatter counterpart-the antihydrogen atom-of particular interest. Current standard-model physics requires that hydrogen and antihydrogen have the same energy levels and spectral lines. The laser-driven 1S-2S transition was recently observed 8 in antihydrogen. Here we characterize one of the hyperfine components of this transition using magnetically trapped atoms of antihydrogen and compare it to model calculations for hydrogen in our apparatus. We find that the shape of the spectral line agrees very well with that expected for hydrogen and that the resonance frequency agrees with that in hydrogen to about 5 kilohertz out of 2.5 × 1015 hertz. This is consistent with charge-parity-time invariance at a relative precision of 2 × 10-12-two orders of magnitude more precise than the previous determination 8 -corresponding to an absolute energy sensitivity of 2 × 10-20 GeV.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ahmadi
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - B X R Alves
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C J Baker
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C Carruth
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S Cohen
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - R Collister
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Evans
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - M C Fujiwara
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - W N Hardy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - J M Jones
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S A Jones
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Khramov
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P Knapp
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - L Kurchaninov
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - J T K McKenna
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - T Momose
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - J J Munich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - K Olchanski
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - A Olin
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P Pusa
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | - D M Silveira
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C So
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - R I Thompson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - D P van der Werf
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- IRFU, CEA/Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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5
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Butler E, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Gutierrez A, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Isaac CA, Ishida A, Johnson MA, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Mathers M, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Munich JJ, Nolan P, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Stracka S, Stutter G, So C, Tharp TD, Thompson JE, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Erratum: Observation of the hyperfine spectrum of antihydrogen. Nature 2018; 553:530. [PMID: 29258296 DOI: 10.1038/nature24663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature23446.
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6
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Isaac CA, Johnson MA, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Mathers M, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Momose T, Munich JJ, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, So C, Stutter G, Tharp TD, Thompson JE, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Enhanced Control and Reproducibility of Non-Neutral Plasmas. Phys Rev Lett 2018; 120:025001. [PMID: 29376718 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.025001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The simultaneous control of the density and particle number of non-neutral plasmas confined in Penning-Malmberg traps is demonstrated. Control is achieved by setting the plasma's density by applying a rotating electric field while simultaneously fixing its axial potential via evaporative cooling. This novel method is particularly useful for stabilizing positron plasmas, as the procedures used to collect positrons from radioactive sources typically yield plasmas with variable densities and particle numbers; it also simplifies optimization studies that require plasma parameter scans. The reproducibility achieved by applying this technique to the positron and electron plasmas used by the ALPHA antihydrogen experiment at CERN, combined with other developments, contributed to a 10-fold increase in the antiatom trapping rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ahmadi
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, United Kingdom
| | - B X R Alves
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - C J Baker
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD, United Kingdom
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - C Carruth
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - S Cohen
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - R Collister
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - A Evans
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - M C Fujiwara
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - W N Hardy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - S A Jones
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L Kurchaninov
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - M Mathers
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - J T K McKenna
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - T Momose
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - J J Munich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - K Olchanski
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - A Olin
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - P Pusa
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, United Kingdom
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - E Sarid
- Soreq NRC, Yavne 81800, Israel
| | - D M Silveira
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
| | - C So
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, P.O. Box 1881,Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-1881, USA
| | - J E Thompson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R I Thompson
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - D P van der Werf
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
- IRFU, CEA/Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
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7
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Butler E, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Gutierrez A, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Isaac CA, Ishida A, Johnson MA, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Mathers M, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Munich JJ, Nolan P, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Stracka S, Stutter G, So C, Tharp TD, Thompson JE, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Observation of the hyperfine spectrum of antihydrogen. Nature 2017; 548:66-69. [PMID: 28770838 DOI: 10.1038/nature23446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The observation of hyperfine structure in atomic hydrogen by Rabi and co-workers and the measurement of the zero-field ground-state splitting at the level of seven parts in 1013 are important achievements of mid-twentieth-century physics. The work that led to these achievements also provided the first evidence for the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron, inspired Schwinger's relativistic theory of quantum electrodynamics and gave rise to the hydrogen maser, which is a critical component of modern navigation, geo-positioning and very-long-baseline interferometry systems. Research at the Antiproton Decelerator at CERN by the ALPHA collaboration extends these enquiries into the antimatter sector. Recently, tools have been developed that enable studies of the hyperfine structure of antihydrogen-the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen. The goal of such studies is to search for any differences that might exist between this archetypal pair of atoms, and thereby to test the fundamental principles on which quantum field theory is constructed. Magnetic trapping of antihydrogen atoms provides a means of studying them by combining electromagnetic interaction with detection techniques that are unique to antimatter. Here we report the results of a microwave spectroscopy experiment in which we probe the response of antihydrogen over a controlled range of frequencies. The data reveal clear and distinct signatures of two allowed transitions, from which we obtain a direct, magnetic-field-independent measurement of the hyperfine splitting. From a set of trials involving 194 detected atoms, we determine a splitting of 1,420.4 ± 0.5 megahertz, consistent with expectations for atomic hydrogen at the level of four parts in 104. This observation of the detailed behaviour of a quantum transition in an atom of antihydrogen exemplifies tests of fundamental symmetries such as charge-parity-time in antimatter, and the techniques developed here will enable more-precise such tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ahmadi
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, UK
| | - B X R Alves
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - C J Baker
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M12 9PL, UK.,Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD, UK
| | - E Butler
- Physics Department, CERN, CH-1211 Geneve 23, Switzerland
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - C Carruth
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - S Cohen
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - R Collister
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - A Evans
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - M C Fujiwara
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - A Gutierrez
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.,Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - W N Hardy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - A Ishida
- Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M12 9PL, UK.,Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD, UK
| | - S A Jones
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L Kurchaninov
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - M Mathers
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - J T K McKenna
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - J M Michan
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.,École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - T Momose
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - J J Munich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - P Nolan
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, UK
| | - K Olchanski
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
| | - A Olin
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - P Pusa
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, UK
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - E Sarid
- Soreq NRC, Yavne 81800, Israel
| | - D M Silveira
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
| | - S Stracka
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.,Universita di Pisa and Sezione INFN di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - C So
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, PO Box 1881, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-1881, USA
| | - J E Thompson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - R I Thompson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - D P van der Werf
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.,IRFU, CEA/Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA
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8
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Butler E, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Gutierrez A, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Isaac CA, Ishida A, Johnson MA, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Mathers M, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Munich JJ, Nolan P, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Stracka S, Stutter G, So C, Tharp TD, Thompson JE, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Antihydrogen accumulation for fundamental symmetry tests. Nat Commun 2017; 8:681. [PMID: 28947794 PMCID: PMC5613003 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00760-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Antihydrogen, a positron bound to an antiproton, is the simplest anti-atom. Its structure and properties are expected to mirror those of the hydrogen atom. Prospects for precision comparisons of the two, as tests of fundamental symmetries, are driving a vibrant programme of research. In this regard, a limiting factor in most experiments is the availability of large numbers of cold ground state antihydrogen atoms. Here, we describe how an improved synthesis process results in a maximum rate of 10.5 ± 0.6 atoms trapped and detected per cycle, corresponding to more than an order of magnitude improvement over previous work. Additionally, we demonstrate how detailed control of electron, positron and antiproton plasmas enables repeated formation and trapping of antihydrogen atoms, with the simultaneous retention of atoms produced in previous cycles. We report a record of 54 detected annihilation events from a single release of the trapped anti-atoms accumulated from five consecutive cycles. Antihydrogen studies are important in testing the fundamental principles of physics but producing antihydrogen in large amounts is challenging. Here the authors demonstrate an efficient and high-precision method for trapping and stacking antihydrogen by using controlled plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ahmadi
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZE, UK
| | - B X R Alves
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - C J Baker
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, M12 9PL, UK.,Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK
| | - E Butler
- Physics Department, CERN, CH-1211, Geneve 23, Switzerland
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - C Carruth
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720-7300, USA
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - S Cohen
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - R Collister
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - A Evans
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z1
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720-7300, USA
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - M C Fujiwara
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - A Gutierrez
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - W N Hardy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z1
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - A Ishida
- Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, M12 9PL, UK.,Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK
| | - S A Jones
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L Kurchaninov
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK.
| | - M Mathers
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, M3J 1P3
| | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - J T K McKenna
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, M3J 1P3
| | - J M Michan
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3.,École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - T Momose
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z1
| | - J J Munich
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6
| | - P Nolan
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZE, UK
| | - K Olchanski
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3
| | - A Olin
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8P 5C2
| | - P Pusa
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZE, UK
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - E Sarid
- Soreq NRC, Yavne, 81800, Israel
| | - D M Silveira
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil
| | - S Stracka
- Universita di Pisa and Sezione INFN di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - C So
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI, 53201-1881, USA
| | - J E Thompson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, M3J 1P3
| | - R I Thompson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - D P van der Werf
- Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK.,IRFU, CEA/Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720-7300, USA
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9
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Ahmadi M, Alves BXR, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Butler E, Capra A, Carruth C, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Cohen S, Collister R, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fajans J, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Gutierrez A, Hangst JS, Hardy WN, Hayden ME, Isaac CA, Ishida A, Johnson MA, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Kurchaninov L, Madsen N, Mathers M, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Michan JM, Momose T, Munich JJ, Nolan P, Olchanski K, Olin A, Pusa P, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Silveira DM, Stracka S, Stutter G, So C, Tharp TD, Thompson JE, Thompson RI, van der Werf DP, Wurtele JS. Observation of the 1S–2S transition in trapped antihydrogen. Nature 2016; 541:506-510. [DOI: 10.1038/nature21040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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