The Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus (ALPHA), part of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), has announced the world’s first laser-based antimatter manipulation.
Using a laser system at Canada’s National Center for Particle Accelerators (TRIUMF), they have demonstrated the first laser cooling of an antihydrogen atom, cooling the sample to near absolute zero (zero).
The achievement was detailed in an article published March 31 and featured on the cover of the journal Nature. This achievement will dramatically change the face of antimatter research and drive the development of the next generation of experiments.
Antimatter is an exotic counterpart to matter that exhibits nearly identical properties and behavior but has an opposite charge. Because antimatter atoms annihilate upon contact with matter, they are very difficult to create and control in our world and have never been manipulated by lasers before.
Takamasa Momose, a researcher with the Alpha Canada team (ALPHA- canada) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) – led the development of the laser in this experiment.
Since the introduction of laser technology 40 years ago, the manipulation and cooling of ordinary atoms has revolutionized modern atomic physics and made possible several Nobel Prize-winning experiments. The results in the journal Nature mark the first time scientists have applied these techniques to antimatter.
By cooling antimatter, researchers will be able to perform a variety of precise tests to further study the properties of antimatter. These tests could provide some clues as to why the universe is composed primarily of matter, rather than matter/antimatter, as predicted by the Big Bang model.
Makoto Fujiwara, the original proponent of the laser cooling idea, commented on this: “Manipulating antimatter with lasers is a bit of a crazy dream …… I am thrilled that with a strong team of Canadian and international scientists working together, our dream has finally come true. “
Laser manipulation of antimatter has also opened the door to a variety of cutting-edge physics innovations. momose and Fujiwara are now leading a new Canadian project called HAICU, which aims to develop new quantum technologies for antimatter research.
Their next plan is to create a “fountain” of anti-atoms by throwing laser-cooled antimatter into free space. If achieved, it will make possible a whole new kind of quantum measurement, which was previously unimaginable.
Takamasa Momose said that by using the latest laser manipulation techniques to bind antiatoms together, scientists are one step closer to creating the world’s first antimatter molecule.
The result marks a watershed moment in Alpha’s decades-long antimatter research project. The project began in 2011 with the creation and capture of antihydrogen and set a world record of 1,000 seconds. The collaboration also provided the first demonstration of an antihydrogen map in 2012, set a barrier limiting the effects of gravity on antimatter in 2013, and demonstrated antimatter corresponding to key spectral phenomena in 2020.
Recent Comments