CERN Experiment Adopts A New Cooling Technique To Improve Precision Of Antiproton Mass

CERN recently reported a completely new precision measurement of antiproton mass relative to that of electron. The results of this experiment came through spectroscopic measurement with around 2 billion antiprotonic helium atoms cooled with extremely cold temperature measuring 1.5-1.7 degrees over absolute zero. In the antiprotonic Helium atom, an antiproton replaces the electrons that usually orbit around the nucleus. These measurements offer an unmatched comparison tool that can do its job with high precision over the antimatter particles mass along with its matter counterpart. The two, however, need to be completely identical.

According to Masaki Hori, the group leader of ASACUSA collaboration, “A pretty large number of atoms containing antiprotons were cooled below minus 271 degrees Celsius. It’s kind of surprising that a ‘half-antimatter’ atom can be made so cold by simply placing it in a refrigerated gas of normal helium.” During particle collisions, antimatter and matter particles are generated in pairs.The antiparticles and particles are said to have similar mass and opposite electric charge. The positively charged positrons, for instance, are anti-electron particles, the antiparticles of negatively charged electrons. Positrons have been under observation for almost 7-8 decades now. These are now used by hospitals in PET scanners. But, the biggest challenge till date was study of antimatter particles with acute precision as matter and antimatter annihilate as they come in contact with each other disappearing within a energy flash.

The Antiproton Decelerator from CERN is a unique system for delivering low-energy antiproton beams for experiments that are meant for antimatter studies. For making measurements with such antiprotons, numerous experiments encase these for longer periods with magnetic devices. ASACUSA’s approach to this concept is completely different, the experiment is able to formulate very special kind of hybrid atoms that have both antimatter and matter in them. These account to be antiprotonic Helium atoms that are constituted by an electron and an antiproton orbiting Helium nucleus. These are formulated by mixing anti protons and helium gas. In the mis, around 3 percent of antiprotons substitute the two electrons that orbit around the helium nucleus.