Antihydrogen Physics: gravitation and spectroscopy in AEgIS

Ferragut, R.; Belov, A. S.; Bonomi, G.; Boscolo, I.; Brusa, R. S.; Byakov, V. M.; Cabaret, L.; Calloni, A.; Canali, C.; Carraro, C.; Castelli, F.; Cialdi, S.; Comparat, D.; Consolati, G.; Dassa, L.; Djourelov, N.; Doser, M.; Drobychev, G.; Dudarev, A.; Dupasquier, A.; Ferrari, G.; Fischer, A.; Folegati, P.; Fontana, A.; Formaro, L.; Giammarchi, M. G.; Gninenko, S. N.; Heyne, R.; Hogan, S. D.; Jorgensen, L. V.; Kellerbauer, A.; Krasnicky, D.; Lagomarsino, V.; Manuzio, G.; Mariazzi, S.; Matveev, V. A.; Morhard, C.; Nebbia, G.; Nedelec, P.; Oberthaler, M. K.; Perini, D.; Petracek, V.; Prelz, F.; Prevedelli, Marco; Al Qaradawi, I. Y.; Quasso, F.; Riccardi, C.; Rohne, O.; Rotondi, A.; Sacerdoti, M.; Sandaker, H.; Sillou, D.; Stepanov, S. V.; Stroke, H. H.; Testera, G.; Trezzi, D.; Turbabin, A. V.; Vaccarone, R.; Villa, F.; Warring, U.; Zavatarelli, S.; Zenoni, A.; Zvezhinskij, D. S.

doi:10.1139/P10-099

AEgIS (Antimatter experiment: gravity, interferometry, spectroscopy) is an experiment approved by CERN with the goal of studying antihydrogen physics. In AEgIS, antihydrogen will be produced by charge exchange reactions of cold antiprotons with positronium atoms excited in a Rydberg state (n > 20). In the first phase of the experiment, controlled acceleration by an electric field gradient (Stark effect) and subsequent measurement of free fall in a Moiré deflectometer will allow a test of the weak equivalence principle. In a second phase, the antihydrogen will be slowed, confined, and laser-cooled to perform CPT studies and detailed spectroscopy. In the present work, after a general description of the experiment, the present status of advancement will be reviewed, with special attention to the production and excitation of positronium atoms.

R. Ferragut, A. S. Belov, G. Bonomi, I. Boscolo, R. S. Brusa, V. M. Byakov, et al. (2011). Antihydrogen Physics: gravitation and spectroscopy in AEgIS [10.1139/P10-099].