CERN scientists capture rare antimatter atoms

Antimatter exists within the universe, however it is hard to capture. However, scientists have just done it. It isn’t the very first time antimatter has been seen, but it’s a groundbreaking achievement within the way it was done. The experiment took place at the CERN laboratory. This is the first time antimatter has been observable in existence.

This is actually the first-time antimatter atoms have been captured

The Telegraph accounts that in an experiment, antimatter was captures by the CERN laboratory researchers in Geneva Switzerland. Only 38 atoms of antihydrogen were able to be caught for a fifth of a second before blasting out of existence. Subatomic particles tend to move extremely fast. This is the reason why the fifth of a second was more than expected. ALPHA, or Anti-hydrogen Laser Physics, was used by the scientists to produce antihydrogen, reports the BBC, so that they could put them in a field with 700 million positively charged electrons, also known as positrons, and 10 million protons. A magnetic container was used for the experiment. This made it so a gas cloud the size of a match head was formed. The result was 38 atoms worth of antihydrogen. Since antihydrogen is almost the exact same as hydrogen except it has an opposite charge, it’s used in many studies.

Antimatter is genuine

A particle corresponding sometimes has an opposite charge. This is called antimatter. For instance, a normal electron has a negative charge and behaves in a certain way. Anti-electron, sometimes called positrons, have positive charges although they behave just like an electrons. The 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics was given to Carl D. Anderson at CalTech because he confirmed the existence of positrons in 1932. It’s hard to ever see antimatter. It and ordinary matter annihilate each other when in contact. The challenge is how to create an antimatter particle that exists long enough to research it.

Physics concerned about this

Physics has always had a hard time with matter and antimatter. It has been a problem due to the mystery of it all. Less antimatter exists than matter, because if equal amounts of matter and antimatter existed, the universe would have annihilated itself long ago. Still, the creation of a few atoms of antimatter for a few seconds in a laboratory is quite an achievement.

Details from

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/science/8141780/Antimatter-captured-by-CERN-scientists-in-dramatic-physics-breakthrough.html

The BBC

bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11773791

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter