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A Proposal to Measure Antimatter Gravity Using Ultracold Antihydrogen Atoms

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Abstract

The gravitational acceleration of antimatter has never been measured directly. Antihydrogen atoms, being both stable and neutral, are an ideal system for investigating antimatter gravity. Ultralow temperatures in the 10–100 μK range are desirable for practical experiments. It is proposed to cool positive antihydrogen ions using laser-cooled ordinary ions. Ultracold neutral antihydrogen atoms might then be obtained by photodetachment. The gravitational acceleration can readily be determined from the time-of-flight between the photodetachment laser pulse and an annihilation detector.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Straße 1, 85748, Garching, Germany

    Jochen Walz & Theodor W. Hänsch

  2. Sektion Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4/III, 80799, München, Germany

    Theodor W. Hänsch

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  1. Jochen Walz
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  2. Theodor W. Hänsch
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Walz, J., Hänsch, T.W. A Proposal to Measure Antimatter Gravity Using Ultracold Antihydrogen Atoms. General Relativity and Gravitation 36, 561–570 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:GERG.0000010730.93408.87

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