Towards the first measurement of matter-antimatter gravitational interaction
Résumé
The AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) is a CERN based experiment with the central aim to measure directly the gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen. Antihydrogen atoms will be produced via charge exchange reactions which will consist of Rydberg-excited positronium atoms sent to cooled antiprotons within an electromagnetic trap. The resulting Rydberg antihydrogen atoms will then be horizontally accelerated by an electric field gradient (Stark effect), they will then pass through a moiré deflectometer. The vertical deflection caused by the Earth's gravitational field will test for the first time the Weak Equivalence Principle for antimatter. Detection will be undertaken via a position sensitive detector. Around $10^3$ antihydrogen atoms are needed for the gravitational measurement to be completed. The present status, current achievements and results will be presented, with special attention toward the laser excitation of positronium (Ps) to the $n=3$ state and the production of Ps atoms in the transmission geometry.
Mots clés
antihydrogen: acceleration
gravitation: acceleration
gravitation: interaction
detector: position sensitive
positronium: excited state
electric field: gradient
atom
antimatter
equivalence principle
charge exchange
deflection
CERN Lab
geometry
anti-p
experimental results
experimental equipment
experimental methods
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