Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Publication Date
9-25-2017
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group (Macmillan Publishers Limited)
Source Publication
Nature Communications
Source ISSN
2041-1723
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.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Tharp, Timothy; Ahmadi, M.; Nolan, P.; Pusa, P.; Alves, B. X. R.; Friesen, T.; Rasmussen, C. O.; Stutter, G.; Baker, C. J.; Charlton, M.; Eriksson, S.; Isaac, C. A.; Jones, S. A.; Madsen, N.; Maxwell, D.; Sameed, M.; van der Werf, D. P.; Bertsche, W.; Johnson, M. A.; Butler, E.; Capra, A.; Collister, R.; Fujiwara, M. C.; Kurchaninov, L.; McKenna, J. T. K.; Michan, J. M.; Olchanski, K.; Olin, A.; Carruth, C.; Fajans, J.; Wurtele, J. S.; Cesar, C. L.; Sacramento, R. L.; Silveira, D. M.; Cohen, S.; Evans, A.; So, C.; Thompson, R. I.; Evetts, N.; Hardy, W. N.; Momose, T.; Gutierrez, A.; Hayden, M. E.; Munich, J. J.; Ishida, A.; Jonsell, S.; Mathers, M.; Menary, S.; Thompson, J. E.; Michan, J.M.; Robicheaux, F.; Sarid, E.; and Stracha, S., "Antihydrogen accumulation for fundamental symmetry tests" (2017). Physics Faculty Research and Publications. 143.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/physics_fac/143
Comments
Published version. Nature Communications, Vol. 8, No. 681 (Sept. 25, 2017). DOI. © 2017 Nature Publishing Group (Macmillan Publishers Limited). Used with permission.
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