EPJ Web of Conferences (Jan 2016)
Probing antimatter gravity – The AEGIS experiment at CERN
- Kellerbauer A.,
- Aghion S.,
- Amsler C.,
- Ariga A.,
- Ariga T.,
- Bonomi G.,
- Bräunig P.,
- Bremer J.,
- Brusa R. S.,
- Cabaret L.,
- Caccia M.,
- Caravita R.,
- Castelli F.,
- Cerchiari G.,
- Chlouba K.,
- Cialdi S.,
- Comparat D.,
- Consolati G.,
- Demetrio A.,
- Di Noto L.,
- Doser M.,
- Dudarev A.,
- Ereditato A.,
- Evans C.,
- Ferragut R.,
- Fesel J.,
- Fontana A.,
- Gerber S.,
- Giammarchi M.,
- Gligorova A.,
- Guatieri F.,
- Haider S.,
- Holmestad H.,
- Huse T.,
- Jordan E.,
- Kimura M.,
- Koettig T.,
- Krasnický D.,
- Lagomarsino V.,
- Lansonneur P.,
- Lebrun P.,
- Lehner S.,
- Liberadzka J.,
- Malbrunot C.,
- Mariazzi S.,
- Matveev V.,
- Mazzotta Z.,
- Nebbia G.,
- Nédélec P.,
- Oberthaler M.,
- Pacifico N.,
- Pagano D.,
- Penasa L.,
- Petráček V.,
- Pistillo C.,
- Prelz F.,
- Prevedelli M.,
- Ravelli L.,
- Rienäcker B.,
- Røhne O.M.,
- Rotondi A.,
- Sacerdoti M.,
- Sandaker H.,
- Santoro R.,
- Scampoli P.,
- Smestad L.,
- Sorrentino F.,
- Špaček M.,
- Storey J.,
- Strojek I.M.,
- Testera G.,
- Tietje I.,
- Widmann E.,
- Yzombard P.,
- Zavatarelli S.,
- Zmeskal J.,
- Zurlo N.
Affiliations
- Kellerbauer A.
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
- Aghion S.
- INFN Padova
- Amsler C.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Ariga A.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Ariga T.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Bonomi G.
- Bräunig P.
- Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Univ. of Heidelberg
- Bremer J.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Brusa R. S.
- Cabaret L.
- Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, University Paris-Sud
- Caccia M.
- Caravita R.
- Castelli F.
- Cerchiari G.
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
- Chlouba K.
- Department of Physics, University of Milano
- Cialdi S.
- Comparat D.
- Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, University Paris-Sud
- Consolati G.
- INFN Padova
- Demetrio A.
- Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Univ. of Heidelberg
- Di Noto L.
- Doser M.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Dudarev A.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Ereditato A.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Evans C.
- INFN Padova
- Ferragut R.
- INFN Padova
- Fesel J.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Fontana A.
- INFN Pavia
- Gerber S.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Giammarchi M.
- INFN Milano
- Gligorova A.
- Institute of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen
- Guatieri F.
- Haider S.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Holmestad H.
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo
- Huse T.
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo
- Jordan E.
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
- Kimura M.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Koettig T.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Krasnický D.
- INFN Genova
- Lagomarsino V.
- Lansonneur P.
- Institute of Nuclear Physics, CNRS/IN2p3, University of Lyon 1
- Lebrun P.
- Institute of Nuclear Physics, CNRS/IN2p3, University of Lyon 1
- Lehner S.
- Stefan Meyer Institute for Subatomic Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- Liberadzka J.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Malbrunot C.
- Mariazzi S.
- Stefan Meyer Institute for Subatomic Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- Matveev V.
- Mazzotta Z.
- Nebbia G.
- INFN Padova
- Nédélec P.
- Institute of Nuclear Physics, CNRS/IN2p3, University of Lyon 1
- Oberthaler M.
- Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Univ. of Heidelberg
- Pacifico N.
- Institute of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen
- Pagano D.
- Penasa L.
- Petráček V.
- Czech Technical University
- Pistillo C.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Prelz F.
- INFN Milano
- Prevedelli M.
- University of Bologna
- Ravelli L.
- Rienäcker B.
- Physics Department, CERN
- Røhne O.M.
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo
- Rotondi A.
- Sacerdoti M.
- Sandaker H.
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo
- Santoro R.
- Scampoli P.
- Smestad L.
- Sorrentino F.
- Špaček M.
- Czech Technical University
- Storey J.
- Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, University of Bern
- Strojek I.M.
- Czech Technical University
- Testera G.
- INFN Genova
- Tietje I.
- Widmann E.
- Stefan Meyer Institute for Subatomic Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- Yzombard P.
- Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, University Paris-Sud
- Zavatarelli S.
- INFN Genova
- Zmeskal J.
- Stefan Meyer Institute for Subatomic Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- Zurlo N.
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201612602016
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 126
p. 02016
Abstract
The weak equivalence principle states that the motion of a body in a gravitational field is independent of its structure or composition. This postulate of general relativity has been tested to very high precision with ordinary matter, but no relevant experimental verification with antimatter has ever been carried out. The AEGIS experiment will measure the gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen to ultimately 1% precision. For this purpose, a pulsed horizontal antihydrogen beam with a velocity of several 100 m s−1 will be produced. Its vertical deflection due to gravity will be detected by a setup consisting of material gratings coupled with a position-sensitive detector, operating as a moiré deflectometer or an atom interferometer. The AEGIS experiment is installed at CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator, currently the only facility in the world which produces copious amounts of low-energy antiprotons. The construction of the setup has been going on since 2010 and is nearing completion. A proof-of-principle experiment with antiprotons has demonstrated that the deflection of antiparticles by a few μm due to an external force can be detected. Technological and scientific development pertaining to specific challenges of the experiment, such as antihydrogen formation by positronium charge exchange or the position-sensitive detection of antihydrogen annihilations, is ongoing.
