Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy Research Articles

Rydberg-positronium velocity and self-ionization studies in a 1T magnetic field and cryogenic environment

We characterized the pulsed Rydberg-positronium production inside the AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) apparatus in view of antihydrogen formation by means of a charge exchange reaction between cold antiprotons and slow Rydberg-positronium atoms. Velocity measurements on positronium along two axes in a cryogenic environment (10K) and in 1T magnetic field were performed. The velocimetry was done by MCP-imaging of photoionized positronium previously excited to the $n=3$ state. One direction of velocity was measured via Doppler-scan of this $n=3$-line, another direction perpendicular to the former by delaying the exciting laser pulses in a time-of-flight measurement. Self-ionization in the magnetic field due to motional Stark effect was also quantified by using the same MCP-imaging technique for Rydberg positronium with an effective principal quantum number $n_{eff}$ ranging between 14 and 22. We conclude with a discussion about the optimization of our experimental parameters for creating Rydberg-positronium in preparation for an efficient pulsed production of antihydrogen.

Towards the first measurement of matter-antimatter gravitational interaction

The AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) is a CERN based experiment with the central aim to measure directly the gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen. Antihydrogen atoms will be produced via charge exchange reactions which will consist of Rydberg-excited positronium atoms sent to cooled antiprotons within an electromagnetic trap. The resulting Rydberg antihydrogen atoms will then be horizontally accelerated by an electric field gradient (Stark effect), they will then pass through a moiré deflectometer. The vertical deflection caused by the Earth's gravitational field will test for the first time the Weak Equivalence Principle for antimatter. Detection will be undertaken via a position sensitive detector. Around 103 antihydrogen atoms are needed for the gravitational measurement to be completed. The present status, current achievements and results will be presented, with special attention toward the laser excitation of positronium (Ps) to the n=3 state and the production of Ps atoms in the transmission geometry.

Positron Manipulation and Positronium Laser Excitation in AEgIS

Production of antihydrogen by using the charge exchange reaction, as proposed by AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy), requires the formation of a dense cloud of positronium atoms excited to Rydberg states. In this work, the recent advances in AEgIS towards this result are described. Namely, the manipulation of positrons to produce bunches containing more than 108 particles and the laser excitation of positronium to Rydberg states, using n=3 as intermediate level, are presented.

Heat transfer at a sapphire – indium interface in the 30 mK – 300 mK temperature range

Within the framework of the AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) project a direct measurement of the Earth’s gravitational acceleration on antihydrogen will be carried out. In order to obtain satisfactory precision of the measurement, the thermal movement of the particles should be reduced. Therefore a Penning trap, which is used to trap antiprotons and create antihydrogen, will be placed on a mixing chamber of an especially designed dilution refrigerator. The trap consists of 10 electrodes, which need to be electrically insulated, but thermally anchored. To ensure that the trap remains at a temperature below 100 mK, the heat transfer at the metallic-dielectric boundary is investigated. A copper – indium – sapphire – indium – copper sandwich setup was mounted on the CERN Cryolab dilution refrigerator. Keeping the mixing chamber at a constant low temperature in the range of 30 mK to 300 mK, steady-state measurements with indium in normal conducting and superconducting states have been performed. Obtained results along with a precise description of our setup are presented.

The AEgIS experiment at CERN: measuring antihydrogen free-fall in earth’s gravitational field to test WEP with antimatter

The AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) experiment is designed with the objective to test the weak equivalence principle with antimatter by studying the free fall of antihydrogen in the Earth’s gravitational field. A pulsed cold beam of antihydrogen will be produced by charge exchange between cold Ps excited in Rydberg state and cold antiprotons. Finally the free fall will be measured by a classical moiré deflectometer. The apparatus being assembled at the Antiproton Decelerator at CERN will be described, then the advancements of the experiment will be reported: positrons and antiprotons trapping measurements, Ps two-step excitation and a test-measurement of antiprotons deflection with a small scale moiré deflectometer.

Design and Testing of 100 mK High-voltage Electrodes for AEgIS

The AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) experiment at CERN has as main goal to perform the first direct measurement of the Earth's gravitational acceleration on antihydrogen atoms within 1% precision. To reach this precision, the antihydrogen should be cooled down to about 100 mK to reduce its random vertical velocity. This is obtained by mounting a Penning trap consisting of multiple high-voltage electrodes on the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator with cooling capacity of 100μW at 50 mK. A design of the high-voltage electrodes is made and experimentally tested at operating conditions. The high-voltage electrodes are made of sapphire with four gold sputtered electrode sectors on it. The electrodes have a width of 40mm, a height of 18mm and a thickness of 5.8mm and for performance testing are mountedto the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator with a 250μm thick indium foil sandwiched inbetween the two to increase the thermal contact. A static heat load of 120nW applied to the top surface of the electrode results in a maximum measured temperature of 100mK while the mixing chamber is kept at a constant temperature of 50mK. The measured totalthermal resistivity lies in the range of 210-260cm2K4W−1, which is much higher than expected from literature. Further research needs to be done to investigate this.

AEgIS experiment: Towards antihydrogen beam production for antimatter gravity measurements

AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) is an experiment that aims to perform the first direct measurement of the gravitational acceleration g of antihydrogen in the Earth’s field. A cold antihydrogen beam will be produced by charge exchange reaction between cold antiprotons and positronium excited in Rydberg states. Rydberg positronium (with quantum number n between 20 and 30) will be produced by a two steps laser excitation. The antihydrogen beam, after being accelerated by Stark effect, will fly through the gratings of a moire deflectometer. The deflection of the horizontal beam due to its free fall will be measured by a position sensitive detector. It is estimated that the detection of about 103 antihydrogen atoms is required to determine the gravitational acceleration with a precision of 1%. In this report an overview of the AEgIS experiment is presented and its current status is described. Details on the production of slow positronium and its excitation with lasers are discussed.

Production and thermalization of positronium in homogeneous porous silica

Positronium yield using the "3γ method" and lifetime measurements were performed at cryogenic and room temperature by means of a variable energy positron beam in homogeneous porous silica (Aerogel). An estimation of the positronium (Ps) mean diffusion length was obtained by measuring capped samples. An efficient formation of cooled Ps atoms is a requisite for the production of antihydrogen, with the aim of a direct measurement of the Earth gravitational acceleration g of antimatter, which is the primary scientific goal of AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy; CERN, Geneva). Porous materials are necessary to obtain a high Ps yield as well as to thermalize Ps. Our results indicate a high Ps production, long survival time and diffusion length in Aerogel samples. It will be shown that positronium yield, lifetime and diffusion length are independent on temperature and on the effect of gas adsorption at low temperature. The results indicate that Aerogel is a good candidate for an efficient formation of cold Ps for the AEgIS experiment.

Construction and Test of the Magnets for the AEgIS Experiment

The new AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) Experiment has the main goal to measure the Earth's gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen atoms. Two high-homogeneity superconducting 1 T and 5 T solenoids are placed on the same axis and provide the magnetic field required for the cylindrical Penning traps to catch and to accumulate antiprotons delivered by the Antiproton Decelerator of CERN. The solenoids have a free bore of 250 mm and 160 mm respectively and the overall system length is 3 m. The 1 T and 5 T solenoids are equipped with a set of superconducting correction coils charged by individual power supplies. In addition, there is a shielding coil to minimize the stray magnetic field in the measurement area. The solenoids and their sets of correction coils are constructed and tested at CERN. Before system integration the single coils are tested separately in a vertical cryostat. To guarantee smooth precooling of the impregnated coils a small volume of liquid nitrogen is placed inside the solenoid bore without direct thermal contact to the solenoid cold mass. The heat exchange and therefore the cool down rate are controlled by regulating the helium gas pressure in the cryostat. The final magnet control system is used for coil energizing and quench protection.

The AEGIS experiment at CERN

After the first production of cold antihydrogen by the ATHENA and ATRAP experiments ten years ago, new second-generation experiments are aimed at measuring the fundamental properties of this anti-atom. The goal of AEGIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) is to test the weak equivalence principle by studying the gravitational interaction between matter and antimatter with a pulsed, cold antihydrogen beam. The experiment is currently being assembled at CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator. In AEGIS, antihydrogen will be produced by charge exchange of cold antiprotons with positronium excited to a high Rydberg state (n > 20). An antihydrogen beam will be produced by controlled acceleration in an electric-field gradient (Stark acceleration). The deflection of the horizontal beam due to its free fall in the gravitational field of the earth will be measured with a moire deflectometer. Initially, the gravitational acceleration will be determined to a precision of 1%, requiring the detection of about 105 antihydrogen atoms. In this paper, after a general description, the present status of the experiment will be reviewed.

Towards the production of an ultra cold antihydrogen beam with the AEGIS apparatus

The AEGIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) experiment is an international collaboration, based at CERN, with the experimental goal of performing the first direct measurement of the Earth’s gravitational acceleration on antihydrogen. In the first phase of the experiment, a gravity measurement with 1% precision will be performed by passing a beam of ultra cold antihydrogen atoms through a classical Moire deflectometer coupled to a position sensitive detector. The key requirements for this measurement are the production of ultra cold (T∼100 mK) Rydberg state antihydrogen and the subsequent Stark acceleration of these atoms. The aim is to produce Rydberg state antihydrogen by means of the charge exchange reaction between ultra cold antiprotons (T∼100 mK) and Rydberg state positronium. This paper will present details of the developments necessary for the successful production of the ultra cold antihydrogen beam, with emphasis on the detector that is required for the development of these techniques. Issues covered will include the detection of antihydrogen production and temperature, as well as detection of the effects of Stark acceleration.

Design of a Superconducting Magnet System for the AEGIS Experiment at CERN

The new AEGIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) Experiment will be installed in the Antiproton Decelerator hall at CERN. The main goal is to measure the Earth's gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen atoms. The experiment consists of two high-homogeneity solenoids placed on the same axis. The 5 T magnet is part of a cylindrical Penning trap to catch and to accumulate antiprotons delivered by the decelerator. The antihydrogen is then produced in the 1 T region where sub-kelvin antiproton temperatures provided by the dilution refrigerator are required to form a slowly-moving beam of antihydrogen. The helium bath cooled superconducting magnets; the different traps and the dilution refrigerator are integrated in a common cryostat with an internal vacuum barrier between the insulating cryogenic vacuum and the very high beam vacuum. In addition, the magnet system has to guarantee a smooth transition between the 5 T and the 1 T magnetic field areas required for a loss-free transfer of antiprotons and positrons from the trapping region to the antihydrogen production area. In this paper the design of this AEGIS magnet system is presented and discussed.

Antihydrogen physics: gravitation and spectroscopy in AEgISThis paper was presented at the International Conference on Precision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems, held at École de Physique, les Houches, France, 30 May – 4 June, 2010.

AEgIS (Antimatter experiment: gravity, interferometry, spectroscopy) is an experiment approved by CERN with the goal of studying antihydrogen physics. In AEgIS, antihydrogen will be produced by charge exchange reactions of cold antiprotons with positronium atoms excited in a Rydberg state (n > 20). In the first phase of the experiment, controlled acceleration by an electric field gradient (Stark effect) and subsequent measurement of free fall in a Moiré deflectometer will allow a test of the weak equivalence principle. In a second phase, the antihydrogen will be slowed, confined, and laser-cooled to perform CPT studies and detailed spectroscopy. In the present work, after a general description of the experiment, the present status of advancement will be reviewed, with special attention to the production and excitation of positronium atoms.

O-Ps cooling for antihydrogen production

AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) experiment in progress at CERN has planned to produce antihydrogen (H̄) by using the resonant charge exchange process between orthopositronium (o-Ps) and antiproton (p̄). Its primary goal is the realization of a cold H̄ beam for the first measurement of the Earth's gravitational acceleration on antimatter. A demanding condition for large o-Ps - p̄ cross section is the cooling of o-Ps at temperatures lower than at least 160 K. We will present recent results of o-Ps formation and cooling at cryogenic temperatures in a novel silicon positron/Ps converter in which oxidized nano-channels perpendicular to the surface were produced. The possibility to tune the nano-channels dimension to optimize o-Ps kinetic energy emission and to avoid o-Ps quantum confinement is discussed.

Homogeneous porous silica for positronium production in AEgIS

Positronium (Ps) formation measurements in homogeneous porous silica (Xerogel of 85 mg cm−3 and swollen MCM-41 of 390 mg cm−3) were performed at different temperatures (8K–293K) by means of a variable energy positron beam equipped with a Ge detector. The results indicate that Xerogel and swollen MCM-41 samples have a high Ps production, which is independent on the temperature. An estimation of the ortho-Ps mean diffusion length was obtained by measuring samples capped with an Al film (~110 nm). An efficient formation of cooled Ps atoms is a requisite for efficient production of antihydrogen, with the aim of a direct measurement of the Earth gravitational acceleration of antimatter, a primary scientific goal of AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy, CERN). Porous materials with open pores at the surface are necessary to produce a high yield of Ps atoms as well as to cool Ps through collisions with the inner walls of the pores before emerging in the free space outside the target. The results indicate that Xerogel and swollen MCM-41 are good candidates for an efficient formation of cold Ps atoms within the framework of the AEgIS project.

Positronium formation in porous materials for antihydrogen production

Positronium (Ps) formation measurements in several porous materials as: Vycor, germanate Xerogel, Metal-Organic Frameworks MOF-177 and Aerogel with two densities (20 and 150 mg/cm3), were performed by means of a variable energy positron beam provided with a Ge detector and a positron lifetime spectrometer. An efficient formation of cooled Ps atoms is a requisite for the production of antihydrogen, with the aim of a direct measurement of the Earth gravitational acceleration g of antimatter, which is a primary scientific goal of AEGIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy). Porous materials are necessary to form a high yield of Ps atoms as well as to cool Ps through collisions with the inner walls of the pores. The different materials were characterized and produce Ps into the pores. Lifetime measurements give an estimation of the typical pores dimension of the substances. A comparative study of the positron lifetime and the Ps fraction values in the above mentioned materials indicates that silica Aerogel, with the appropriate density, is an excellent candidate for an efficient formation of cold Ps atoms for the AEGIS project.