First beam of antihydrogen atoms produced at CERN
The ASACUSA collaboration at CERN has successfully performed a new technique that will help them study the properties of antimatter.
by Ashley Wenners-Herron
Scientists on an antimatter experiment at CERN announced today that they have successfully produced the first-ever beam of antihydrogen atoms. The feat will help them test whether these atoms differ from their matter counterparts, which could give scientists clues about how our universe formed.
Hydrogen is the simplest atom in existence, consisting of one electron and one proton. Antihydrogen, made of an antiproton and an antielectron (also called a positron), is hydrogen’s antiparticle.
Scientists on ASACUSA (experiment pictured above) will use a technique called spectroscopy to study beams of atoms, measuring the energies of the electrical emissions coming from matter atoms versus those coming from antimatter atoms. The process will be somewhat like examining how white light splits into a rainbow after traveling through different types of prisms.
Theoretically, the spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen and antihydrogen should be identical. If there are any differences, it could be an indication of something not explained by our current understanding of physics, and it could help solve one of the biggest mysteries in the cosmos.
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http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/january-2014/first-beam-of-antihydrogen-atoms-produced-at-cern?email_issue=392
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