ALPHA measures tiny energy gap in antimatter with improved precision

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:06]And now this is the most precise measurements. We've improved by a factor of a hundred over our previous results on the exact value of this transition frequency. That frequency [music] has to do with a fundamental property of the hydrogen atom, so-called 21 centimeter line, >> [music] >> which has to do with the internal state of the spins in the hydrogen atom. This is an extremely ubiquitous transition.

[00:00:34]You see it everywhere you look. It's used to explain many, many things about [music] cosmology and the structure of galaxies.

[00:00:42]What we've done here [music] is asked, "How does that look in antimatter? Is that exactly the same frequency?"

[00:00:51]So, ALPHA is unique in the world in that we can create and hold on to antimatter atoms.

[00:00:59]Hold them in a magnetic bottle in ultra-high vacuum, and we can both make them, accumulate them, and then hold on to them to study.

[00:01:10]So, the experiment is something like overnight, we accumulate antihydrogen atoms until there are several thousand in our trap.

[00:01:19]Then we illuminate them with microwaves, and if they have the right frequency, the atoms will be lost. This leads us directly to be able to extract this 21 centimeter line frequency from antihydrogen. So, many techniques that have been built up over the years on producing, [music] trapping, detecting, and illuminating antihydrogen.

[00:01:46]But we have the full spectrum, uh pun intended, of what you can think about doing with a antimatter atom.

[00:01:54]So, we continue to push the limits of those precision measurements on antimatter. That's what we strive to do here in Alpha is compare matter and antimatter with the ultimate precision that we can obtain.