Abstract

In 1996 Baur et al. observed nine statistically significant events of the formation of antihydrogen atoms, the bound state of a positron and an antiproton. However, the number of detected antihydrogen atoms was small and they were produced at relativistic velocities, making meaningful measurements essentially impossible. A breakthrough, paving the way to serious research into the properties of neutral antimatter, would be the wall-free confinement of cold antihydrogen atoms. To produce such cold antihydrogen atoms and catch them before they annihilate with matter is the primary goal of the ATRAP (Antihydrogen Trap) collaboration. Once trapped, cold antihydrogen atoms can be used for experiments such as tests of CPT invariance or gravity measurements.

© 2000 IEEE