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Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter
,
W. Bertsche,
N. M. Bhatt ,
G. Bonomi,
A. Capra ,
I. Carli ,
C. L. Cesar ,
Michael Charlton,
A. Christensen,
R. Collister,
April Cridland ,
D. Duque Quiceno ,
Stefan Eriksson ,
A. Evans,
N. Evetts,
S. Fabbri,
J. Fajans ,
A. Ferwerda,
T. Friesen,
M. C. Fujiwara,
D. R. Gill,
Lukas Golino,
M. B. Gomes Gonçalves,
P. Grandemange ,
P. Granum ,
J. S. Hangst ,
M. E. Hayden,
D. Hodgkinson ,
E. D. Hunter,
Christopher Aled Isaac ,
A. J. U. Jimenez ,
M. A. Johnson,
Jack Jones,
S. A. Jones ,
S. Jonsell ,
A. Khramov ,
Niels Madsen ,
L. Martin ,
N. Massacret,
Daniel Maxwell ,
J. T. K. McKenna,
S. Menary,
T. Momose,
M. Mostamand,
Patrick Mullan,
Janko Nauta,
K. Olchanski,
A. N. Oliveira ,
J. Peszka ,
A. Powell ,
C. Ø. Rasmussen ,
F. Robicheaux ,
R. L. Sacramento,
M. Sameed ,
E. Sarid,
J. Schoonwater ,
D. M. Silveira,
J. Singh ,
G. Smith ,
C. So,
S. Stracka ,
G. Stutter ,
T. D. Tharp,
Kurt Thompson,
R. I. Thompson,
Edward Thorpe-Woods,
C. Torkzaban,
M. Urioni ,
P. Woosaree,
J. S. Wurtele
Nature, Volume: 621, Issue: 7980, Pages: 716 - 722
Swansea University Authors:
Christopher Baker , Michael Charlton, April Cridland , Stefan Eriksson , Lukas Golino, Christopher Aled Isaac , Jack Jones, Niels Madsen , Daniel Maxwell , Patrick Mullan, Janko Nauta, Kurt Thompson, Edward Thorpe-Woods
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DOI (Published version): 10.1038/s41586-023-06527-1
Abstract
Einstein’s general theory of relativity from 19151 remains the most successful description of gravitation. From the 1919 solar eclipse2 to the observation of gravitational waves3, the theory has passed many crucial experimental tests. However, the evolving concepts of dark matter and dark energy ill...
| Published in: | Nature |
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| ISSN: | 0028-0836 1476-4687 |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2023
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64655 |
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| Abstract: |
Einstein’s general theory of relativity from 19151 remains the most successful description of gravitation. From the 1919 solar eclipse2 to the observation of gravitational waves3, the theory has passed many crucial experimental tests. However, the evolving concepts of dark matter and dark energy illustrate that there is much to be learned about the gravitating content of the universe. Singularities in the general theory of relativity and the lack of a quantum theory of gravity suggest that our picture is incomplete. It is thus prudent to explore gravity in exotic physical systems. Antimatter was unknown to Einstein in 1915. Dirac’s theory4 appeared in 1928; the positron was observed5 in 1932. There has since been much speculation about gravity and antimatter. The theoretical consensus is that any laboratory mass must be attracted6 by the Earth, although some authors have considered the cosmological consequences if antimatter should be repelled by matter7,8,9,10. In the general theory of relativity, the weak equivalence principle (WEP) requires that all masses react identically to gravity, independent of their internal structure. Here we show that antihydrogen atoms, released from magnetic confinement in the ALPHA-g apparatus, behave in a way consistent with gravitational attraction to the Earth. Repulsive ‘antigravity’ is ruled out in this case. This experiment paves the way for precision studies of the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration between anti-atoms and the Earth to test the WEP. |
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| Keywords: |
Einstein’s general theory of relativity, gravity, antimatter, dark matter |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This work was supported by: CNPq, FAPERJ, RENAFAE (Brazil); NSERC, NRC/TRIUMF, EHPDS/EHDRS, CFI, DRAC (Canada); FNU (Nice Centre), Carlsberg Foundation (Denmark); STFC, EPSRC, the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust (UK); DOE, NSF (USA); ISF (Israel); and VR (Sweden). |
| Issue: |
7980 |
| Start Page: |
716 |
| End Page: |
722 |