0000000001003390
AUTHOR
J. Walz
A 16-parts-per-trillion measurement of the antiproton-to-proton charge–mass ratio
The standard model of particle physics is both incredibly successful and glaringly incomplete. Among the questions left open is the striking imbalance of matter and antimatter in the observable universe, which inspires experiments to compare the fundamental properties of matter/antimatter conjugates with high precision. Our experiments deal with direct investigations of the fundamental properties of protons and antiprotons, performing spectroscopy in advanced cryogenic Penning trap systems. For instance, we previously compared the proton/antiproton magnetic moments with 1.5 parts per billion fractional precision, which improved upon previous best measurements by a factor of greater than 3,0…
Towards a test of the weak equivalence principle of gravity using anti-hydrogen at CERN
International audience; The aim of the GBAR (Gravitational Behavior of Antimatter at Rest) experiment is to measure the free fall acceleration of an antihydrogen atom, in the terrestrial gravitational field at CERN and therefore test the Weak Equivalence Principle with antimatter. The aim is to measure the local gravity with a 1% uncertainty which can be reduced to few parts of 10-3.
Towards Rydberg quantum logic with trapped ions
We demonstrate the excitation of ions to the Rydberg state $22F$ by vacuum ultraviolet radiation at a wavelength of $123\,\text{nm}$ combined with the coherent manipulation of the optical qubit transition in $^{40}\text{Ca}^+$. With a tightly focused beam at $729\,\text{nm}$ wavelength we coherently excite a single ion from a linear string into the metastable $3D_{5/2}$ state before a VUV pulse excites it to the Rydberg state. In combination with ion shuttling in the trap, we extend this approach to the addressed excitation of multiple ions. The coherent initialization as well as the addressed Rydberg excitation are key prerequisites for more complex applications of Rydberg ions in quantum …
A high-Q superconducting toroidal medium frequency detection system with a capacitively adjustable frequency range >180 kHz
We describe a newly developed polytetrafluoroethylene/copper capacitor driven by a cryogenic piezoelectric slip-stick stage and demonstrate with the chosen layout cryogenic capacitance tuning of ≈60 pF at ≈10 pF background capacitance. Connected to a highly sensitive superconducting toroidal LC circuit, we demonstrate tuning of the resonant frequency between 345 and 685 kHz, at quality factors Q > 100 000. Connected to a cryogenic ultra low noise amplifier, a frequency tuning range between 520 and 710 kHz is reached, while quality factors Q > 86 000 are achieved. This new device can be used as a versatile image current detector in high-precision Penning-trap experiments or as …
Testing CPT Invariance by High-Precision Comparisons of Fundamental Properties of Protons and Antiprotons at BASE
The BASE collaboration at the Antiproton Decelerator facility of CERN compares the fundamental properties of protons and antiprotons using advanced Penning-trap systems. In previous measurement campaigns, we measured the magnetic moments of the proton and the antiproton, reaching (sub-)parts-in-a-billion fractional uncertainty. In the latest campaign, we have compared the proton and antiproton charge-to-mass ratios with a fractional uncertainty of 16 parts in a trillion. In this contribution, we give an overview of the measurement campaign, and detail how its results are used to constrain nine spin-independent coefficients of the Standard-Model Extension in the proton and electron sector.
Cryogenic Particle Accumulation In ATRAP And The First Antihydrogen Production Within A Magnetic Gradient Trap For Neutral Antimatter
ATRAP has made many important improvements since CERN's Antiproton Decelerator (AD) was restarted in 2006. These include substantial increases in the number of positrons (e+) and antiprotons (Pbars) used to make antihydrogen (Hbar) atoms, a new technique for loading electrons (e−) that are used to cool Pbars and e+, implementation of a completely new, larger and more robust apparatus in our second experimental zone and the inclusion of a quadrupole Ioffe trap intended to trap the coldest Hbar atoms produced. Using this new apparatus we have produced large numbers of Hbar atoms within a Penning trap that is located within this quadrupole Ioffe trap using a new technique which shows promise f…
Physics at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator
The Antiproton Decelerator of CERN began operation in 1999 to serve experiments for studies of CPT invariance by precision laser and microwave spectroscopy of antihydrogen ($\bar{\rm H}$) and antiprotonic helium ($\bar{p}{\rm He}^+$). The first 12 years of operation saw cold $\bar{\rm H}$ synthesized by overlapping clouds of positrons ($e^+$) and antiprotons ($\bar{p}$) confined in magnetic Penning traps. Cold $\bar{\rm H}$ was also produced in collisions between Rydberg positronium atoms and $\bar{p}$. Ground-state $\bar{\rm H}$ was later trapped for up to $\sim 1000$ s in a magnetic bottle trap, and microwave transitions excited between its hyperfine levels. In the $\bar{p}{\rm He}^+$ ato…