AeGIS Laser Cooling of Positronium Opens Up New Possibilities for Antimatter Research

Engineers Develop New Device to Reduce Antiproton Cooling Time

Antimatter particles must be cooled to the lowest possible temperatures for study, and a new device developed by engineers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has significantly reduced the cooling time for antiprotons.

The new device uses a laser cooling technique called AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment for Gravity Investigation with Positronium). This technique uses lasers to slow down the antiprotons, reducing their cooling time from 10 minutes to 5 seconds per. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for antimatter research, as it allows scientists to study antimatter particles in greater detail and with more precision.

Antimatter is the opposite of matter, and when antimatter particles meet their corresponding particles, they annihilate each other, releasing a burst of energy. This process can be used to power spacecraft and other devices, but it also makes antimatter difficult to study.

The new device developed by CERN engineers will help scientists to overcome this challenge and learn more about antimatter. This could lead to new discoveries in physics and the development of new technologies.