CERN's ALPHA succeeds in the world for the detailed observation of the optical spectrum of antimatter

When colliding with a substance it generates enormous energy and disappears "AntimatterIs regarded as an important substance to investigate the state at the time of the universe's birth, but it can hardly be observed in nature. CERN research group ALPHA collaboration (ALPHA) succeeded worldwide for the first time in the world for detailed observation of the spectrum of the antihydrogen atom produced in the laboratory. By analyzing anti-substance in detail, it is hoped that research on the difference between antimatter substances will progress.

Observation of the 1S-2S transition in trapped antihydrogen: Nature: Nature Research
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaap/ncurrent/full/nature21040.html

ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time | CERN
https://home.cern/about/updates/2016/12/alpha-observes-light-spectrum-antimatter-first-time

Scientists Blast Antimatter Atoms With A Laser For The First Time: The Two-Way: NPR
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/19/506134622/scientists-blast-antimatter-atoms-with-a-laser-for-the-first-time

An atom is composed of an atomic nucleus and electrons circling around it, and when electrons move to another orbit, it absorbs or emits light of a specific wavelength, and hence forms an intrinsic spectrum (wavelength distribution) To do. It is an important method to estimate the state of a substance by observing such a spectrum. For example, by analyzing the light spectrum of a distant star, the composition element of the star is determined.

ALPHA researchers extracted 25,000 anti-hydrogen atoms from 90,000 antiprotons by combining positrons into anti-protons extracted from anti-proton decelerators and converting them into plasma. The extracted antihydrogen was successfully trapped for 15 minutes in a vacuum apparatus that generated a strong magnetic field. In order to compare and observe anti hydrogen and hydrogen, we succeeded in observing the spectrum generated by the transition from the 1s orbit to the 2s orbit with very high precision by using the laser.


Dr. Jeffrey Hans of Aarhus University, who led the ALPHA experiment, explains this experiment with a movie.

The ALPHA experiment observes light spectrum of antimatter for the first time - YouTube


"Our aim is to know whether the anti-hydrogen of antimatter has the same optical properties as hydrogen," he said.


"From the results of previous experiments, the answer is" yes "."


Dr. Hans says that the goal is to increase the accuracy of the experiment, which is currently several billionths of a degree, to a level of one hundreds of a trillion.


When an antimatter reacts with a substance, it emits intense light and all the substances disappear. This image shows the light emitted when the antimatter collides and disappears to the wall inside the laboratory instrument.


The spectrum observed in this experiment is the first observation comparing spectra of substance and antimatter. Under the present experimental limitation of "precision of a billionths of a degree", it is said that a significant difference in hydrogen and antihydrogen could not be confirmed, and the result is that "hydrogen and antihydrogen have the same light It is consistent with the standard theory of elementary particle physics that "It should have characteristics." Dr. Hans is planning to further analyze the antihydrogen by increasing the accuracy of the experiment, and I have great expectations for clarifying whether substances and antimatterics follow the same physical laws.


·bonus
An international research team such as CERN announced that there was a possibility that helium antimatter anti-helium could be detected in outer space from analysis of Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) installed in the International Space Station.

ISS Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, Anti-substance "Anti Helium" Detected in Space | My Navigation News
http://news.mynavi.jp/news/2016/12/13/047/

It is pointed out that there is a possibility of supporting the hypothesis that "an area composed of antimatter remains in somewhere in outer space" that can be derived from Big Bang theory explaining the beginning of the universe.