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Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter

Physics

Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter

E. K. Anderson, C. J. Baker, et al.

This groundbreaking research by E. K. Anderson and colleagues utilizes antihydrogen atoms to test Einstein's Weak Equivalence Principle, revealing that these antimatter atoms experience gravitational attraction to Earth much like regular matter. The findings challenge the notion of 'antigravity', setting the stage for future precision measurements.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts that all masses, regardless of their internal structure, react identically to gravity. This experiment uses antihydrogen atoms, released from magnetic confinement, to test this Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP). The results show that antihydrogen atoms behave consistently with gravitational attraction to Earth, ruling out repulsive 'antigravity'. This paves the way for precision measurements to further test the WEP.
Publisher
Nature
Published On
Sep 27, 2023
Authors
E. K. Anderson, C. J. Baker, W. Bertsche, N. M. Bhatt, G. Bonomi, A. Capra, I. Carli, C. L. Cesar, M. Charlton, A. Christensen, R. Collister, A. Cridland Mathad, D. Duque Quiceno, S. Eriksson, A. Evans, N. Evetts, S. Fabbri, J. Fajans, A. Ferwerda, T. Friesen, M. C. Fujiwara, D. R. Gill, L. M. Golino, M. B. Gomes Gonçalves, P. Grandemange, P. Granum, J. S. Hangst, M. E. Hayden, D. Hodgkinson, E. D. Hunter, C. A. Isaac, A. J. U. Jimenez, M. A. Johnson, J. M. Jones, S. A. Jones, S. Jonsell, A. Khramov, N. Madsen, L. Martin, N. Massacret, D. Maxwell, J. T. K. McKenna, S. Menary, T. Momose, M. Mostamand, P. S. Mullan, J. Nauta, K. Olchanski, A. N. Oliveira, J. Peszka, A. Powell, C. Ø. Rasmussen, F. Robicheaux, R. L. Sacramento, M. Sameed, E. Sarid, J. Schoonwater, D. M. Silveira, J. Singh, G. Smith, C. So, S. Stracka, G. Stutter, T. D. Tharp, K. A. Thompson, R. I. Thompson, E. Thorpe-Woods, C. Torkzaban, M. Urioni, P. Woosaree, J. S. Wurtele
Tags
General Relativity
Antihydrogen
Weak Equivalence Principle
Gravity
Antimatter
Precision Measurements
Experimental Physics
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