A new path toward gravity experiments with antihydrogen

Abstract

We propose to use a 13 KeV antiproton beam passing through a dense cloud of positronium (Ps) atoms to produce an H+ “beam”. These ions can be slowed down and captured by a trap. The process involves two reactions with large cross sections under the same experimental conditions: the interaction of p with Ps to produce H and the e+ capture by H reacting on Ps to produce H+. The decelerated H+ ions are captured and cooled in a trap. The extra e+ is removed with a laser to measure the gravitational acceleration of neutral antimatter in the gravity field of the Earth.