ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
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Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#2> Today's ALPHA result is the first observation of a spectral line in an antihydrogen atom, allowing the light spectrum of matter and antimatter to be compared for the first time. Within experimental limits, the result shows no difference compared to the equivalent spectral line in hydrogen. This is consistent with the Standard Model of particle physics
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#3I remember Feynman said to check the spin of the photons emitted from alien species. If they're 90 degrees out of phase with ours then they're made of antimatter and we shouldn't shake hands. (At least I think it was spin, been a while since I read QED)
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#4> Antihydrogen is made by mixing plasmas of about 90,000 antiprotons from the Antiproton Decelerator with positrons, resulting in the production of about 25,000 antihydrogen atoms per attempt. Antihydrogen atoms can be trapped if they are moving slowly enough when they are created. Using a new technique in which the collaboration stacks anti-atoms resulting from two successive mixing cycles, it is possible to trap on average 14 anti-atoms per trial
The amount of work that goes in to producing 14 anti-hydrogen atoms is astonishing. It's simultaneously the height of human technical accomplishment yet vanishingly small quantities of the most primitive element possible.
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#5> Today's ALPHA result is the first observation of a spectral line in an antihydrogen atom, allowing the light spectrum of matter and antimatter to be compared for the first time. Within experimental limits, the result shows no difference compared to the equivalent spectral line in hydrogen. This is consistent with the Standard Model of particle physics
>consistent with the Standard Model
Is generally one of the most disappointing phrases one can read in science news. Hooray for progress and all, but everybody is hoping for exactly the opposite result.
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#6> Antihydrogen is made by mixing plasmas of about 90,000 antiprotons from the Antiproton Decelerator with positrons, resulting in the production of about 25,000 antihydrogen atoms per attempt. Antihydrogen atoms can be trapped if they are moving slowly enough when they are created. Using a new technique in which the collaboration stacks anti-atoms resulting from two successive mixing cycles, it is possible to trap on…
If you enjoyed that, you may also enjoy the discussions of how people synthesize super heavy elements, such as in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3oY-XHwss8
Superheavy elements even beat antihydrogen on this scale; one of the ones recently named was confirmed to have been synthesized based on only three atoms!
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#7> Today's ALPHA result is the first observation of a spectral line in an antihydrogen atom, allowing the light spectrum of matter and antimatter to be compared for the first time. Within experimental limits, the result shows no difference compared to the equivalent spectral line in hydrogen. This is consistent with the Standard Model of particle physics
>consistent with the Standard Model Is generally one of the most disappointing phrases one can read in science news. Hooray for progress and all, but everybody is hoping for exactly the opposite result.
Maybe we're running out of surprising things.
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#8I remember Feynman said to check the spin of the photons emitted from alien species. If they're 90 degrees out of phase with ours then they're made of antimatter and we shouldn't shake hands. (At least I think it was spin, been a while since I read QED)
Actually his story was about trying to explain the difference between left and right in terms of nuclear spin experiments. You also explain that humans greet by shaking their right hands. If you meet the alien and he extends his left hand to shake, he must be made of antimatter (since the combination of parity and antimatter conjugation is a symmetry of the universe).
edit: jess is correct, and that's the whole point of the story actually. if CP was invariant you wouldn't be able to tell they were antimatter by describing the nuclear physics decay experiment. instead the antimatter version of the parity experiment gives the opposite result. I shouldn't try to physics so early in the morning :)
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#9Dumb question: Is it easier to create antimatter if you already have some? I mean using it as a nucleation point, or perhaps energy source.
Re: ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
>consistent with the Standard Model Is generally one of the most disappointing phrases one can read in science news. Hooray for progress and all, but everybody is hoping for exactly the opposite result.
Maybe we're running out of surprising things.
We are probably just looking in the wrong places.