PS210 experiment
Encyclopedia
The PS210 experiment was the first experiment that led to the observation of antihydrogen
atoms produced at the Low Energy Antiproton Ring
(LEAR) at CERN
in 1995. The antihydrogen atoms were produced in flight and moved at nearly the speed of light. They made unique electrical signals in detectors that destroyed them almost immediately after they formed by matter–antimatter
annihilation
.
Eleven signals were observed, of which two were attributed to other processes. In 1997 similar observations were announced at Fermilab
from the E862 experiment. The first measurement demonstrated the existence of antihydrogen, the second (with improved setup and intensity monitoring) measured the production rate. Both experiments, one at each of the only two facilities with suitable antiprotons, were stimulated by calculations which suggested the possibility of making very fast antihydrogen
within existing circular accelerators
.
Antihydrogen
Antihydrogen is the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen. Whereas the common hydrogen atom is composed of an electron and proton, the antihydrogen atom is made up of a positron and antiproton...
atoms produced at the Low Energy Antiproton Ring
Low Energy Antiproton Ring
The Low Energy Anti-Proton Ring was an experiment at CERN designed to decelerate and store antimatter, to study the properties of antimatter and to create atoms of antihydrogen. The experiment was constructed in 1982 and operated until 1996, when it was converted into the Low Energy Ion Ring,...
(LEAR) at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
in 1995. The antihydrogen atoms were produced in flight and moved at nearly the speed of light. They made unique electrical signals in detectors that destroyed them almost immediately after they formed by matter–antimatter
Antimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...
annihilation
Annihilation
Annihilation is defined as "total destruction" or "complete obliteration" of an object; having its root in the Latin nihil . A literal translation is "to make into nothing"....
.
Eleven signals were observed, of which two were attributed to other processes. In 1997 similar observations were announced at Fermilab
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics...
from the E862 experiment. The first measurement demonstrated the existence of antihydrogen, the second (with improved setup and intensity monitoring) measured the production rate. Both experiments, one at each of the only two facilities with suitable antiprotons, were stimulated by calculations which suggested the possibility of making very fast antihydrogen
Antihydrogen
Antihydrogen is the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen. Whereas the common hydrogen atom is composed of an electron and proton, the antihydrogen atom is made up of a positron and antiproton...
within existing circular accelerators
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
.