New technique for antihydrogen synthesis promises answers to mysteries of antimatter

New technique for antihydrogen synthesis promises answers to mysteries of antimatter: The new experimental technique, also developed at CERN in a project called ASACUSA, adopts a novel approach for testing CPT in antihydrogen. Whereas ALPHA focused on high-precision laser spectroscopy measurement of 1S-2S electron transitions, ASACUSA uses high-precision microwave spectroscopy to study much smaller hyperfine transitions. The latter approach does not require that atoms be trapped for their properties to be measured, thus making it possible to study an actual beam of antihydrogen.

The new experimental setup, which produces antihydrogen by colliding positrons and antiprotons in a novel “cusp” trap, is an essential precursor to creating such a beam. Initial findings reported in the journal Physical Review Letters indicate that more than 7% of all antiprotons injected into the trap successfully combine to form antihydrogen, suggesting that tests of CPT symmetry are not far away.