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An experimental limit on the charge of antihydrogen
Nature Communications, Volume: 5, Start page: 3955
Swansea University Authors: Michael Charlton, Dirk van der Werf , Niels Madsen , Aled Isaac , Stefan Eriksson
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DOI (Published version): 10.1038/ncomms4955
Abstract
The properties of antihydrogen are expected to be identical to those of hydrogen, and any differences would constitute a profound challenge to the fundamental theories of physics. The most commonly discussed antiatom-based tests of these theories are searches for antihydrogen-hydrogen spectral diffe...
Published in: | Nature Communications |
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ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
Published: |
2014
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Online Access: |
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URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa18032 |
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Abstract: |
The properties of antihydrogen are expected to be identical to those of hydrogen, and any differences would constitute a profound challenge to the fundamental theories of physics. The most commonly discussed antiatom-based tests of these theories are searches for antihydrogen-hydrogen spectral differences (tests of CPT (charge-parity-time) invariance) or gravitational differences (tests of the weak equivalence principle). Here we, the ALPHA Collaboration, report a different and somewhat unusual test of CPT and of quantum anomaly cancellation. A retrospective analysis of the influence of electric fields on antihydrogen atoms released from the ALPHA trap finds a mean axial deflection of 4.1±3.4 mm for an average axial electric field of 0.51 V mm−1. Combined with extensive numerical modelling, this measurement leads to a bound on the charge Qe of antihydrogen of Q=(−1.3±1.1±0.4) × 10^−8. Here, e is the unit charge, and the errors are from statistics and systematic effects. |
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Keywords: |
Antihydrogen, ALPHA |
College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
Start Page: |
3955 |