Development of nuclear emulsions with [formula omitted] spatial resolution for the AEgIS experiment

Mitsuhiro Kimura ,P Bräunig,D Trezzi,A Dudarev,R Vaccarone,C Canali,G Burghart,S Cialdi,S Haider,L Di Noto,D Krasnický,P Nédélec,P Genova,H Sandaker,A Ariga,O Røhne,F Castelli,A Rotondi,M Špaček,V Lagomarsino,G Consolati,M Prevedelli,V Petráček,G Nebbia,C Riccardi,S Zavatarelli,A Knecht,M Giammarchi,S Mariazzi,A Ereditato,T Huse,R Caravita,J Kawada,C Amsler,O Ahlén,F Prelz,L Cabaret,N Pacifico,A Kellerbauer,S Di Domizio,M Doser,P Scampoli,R Ferragut,D Comparat,S Aghion,G Testera,T Ariga,A Gligorova,A Fontana,G Bonomi,F Moia,T Kaltenbacher,C Pistillo,J Bremer,C Regenfus,G Cerchiari,Markus K Oberthaler ,J W Storey ,Subieta Vasquez ,Elena Jordan ,Frédéric Merkt ,Stephen Hogan ,V Matveev ,L V Jørgensen ,R S Brusa ,А С Белов ,S Gninenko

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.082

Abstract

The main goal of the AEgIS experiment at CERN is to test the weak equivalence principle for antimatter. We will measure the Earth's gravitational acceleration g¯ with antihydrogen atoms being launched in a horizontal vacuum tube and traversing a moiré deflectometer. We intend to use a position sensitive device made of nuclear emulsions (combined with a time-of-flight detector such as silicon μ-strips) to measure precisely their annihilation points at the end of the tube. The goal is to determine g¯ with a 1% relative accuracy. In 2012 we tested emulsion films in vacuum and at room temperature with low energy antiprotons from the CERN antiproton decelerator. First results on the expected performance for AEgIS are presented.

Highlights

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In AEgIS the gravitational deflection of H atoms launched horizontally and traversing a moiré deflectometer will be measured with a precision of 1% on jΔgj=g, using a position sensitive annihilation detector [1]
As we discuss in this paper, the antihydrogen annihilation point can be determined in a novel application of emulsion films [2] using the techniques applied to the OPERA experiment [3]

Summary

The AEgIS experiment

The main goal of the AEgIS experiment (CERN/AD6) is to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) using antihydrogen (H). This principle of the universality of free fall has been tested with tremendous precision for matter, but not with antimatter particles, due to major technical difficulties related to stray electric and magnetic fields. As we discuss in this paper, the antihydrogen annihilation point can be determined in a novel application of emulsion films [2] using the techniques applied to the OPERA experiment [3]. This is the first time that nuclear emulsions will be used in vacuum.

Nuclear emulsions

Development of emulsions for AEgIS

Findings

Proof of principle using a miniature moiré deflectometer