Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#1

Post by eduardoflores » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:02 PM UTC

Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds
technologyreview.com

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#2

Post by unwantedLetters » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:14 PM UTC

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#3

Post by [deleted] » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:21 PM UTC

unwantedLetters wrote: post #2

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

[deleted]

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#4

Post by coderdude » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:23 PM UTC

unwantedLetters wrote: post #2

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

From the article:

"The long term storage of significant amounts of antihydrogen should soon settle the question of whether antimatter falls up or down."

One reason they would like to know if antimatter is repelled by gravity is that it could explain why the Universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.[1]

[1]: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-antimatter-gravity-unive...

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#5

Post by danparsonson » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:26 PM UTC

"The ALPHA team now plans to cool a small lump of antihydrogen ..."

How do you cool something at this scale? And how about when it can't collide with any normal matter?

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#6

Post by eduardoflores » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:26 PM UTC

unwantedLetters wrote: post #2

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

The first paragraphs at Wikipedia may help to understand the significance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#7

Post by ordinary » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:32 PM UTC

I am nothing short of _astounded_ that we don't know if anti-matter "falls up".

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#8

Post by jedbrown » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:35 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #3

unwantedLetters wrote: post #2

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

[deleted]

Four orders of magnitude implies the previous best was 0.1 seconds.

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#9

Post by jeroen » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:36 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #3

unwantedLetters wrote: post #2

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

[deleted]

Previously it was "38 antiatoms for just 172 milliseconds".

Re: Antihydrogen Trapped For 1000 Seconds

#10

Post by Femur » Mon, May 02, 2011, 1:40 PM UTC

coderdude wrote: post #4

unwantedLetters wrote: post #2

For those of us that don't know anything about it, can someone explain the significance of this achievement?

From the article: "The long term storage of significant amounts of antihydrogen should soon settle the question of whether antimatter falls up or down." One reason they would like to know if antimatter is repelled by gravity is that it could explain why the Universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.[1] [1]: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-antimatter-gravity-unive...

>>"The long term storage of significant amounts of antihydrogen should soon settle the question of whether antimatter falls up or down."

Would this mean that if I am "holding onto" a chunk of antimatter heaver than myself I will fall up into space?