“We’re a long way off from being able to actually bottle antimatter, like in the movie Angels and Demons, but it was important to show that we could trap it for a longer period of time,” said (right), professor in 91��ɫ’s Department of Physics & Astronomy. Menary works on the Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus experiment, dubbed ALPHA, at the (CERN). In November 2010, ALPHA scientists successfully trapped antihydrogen atoms for the first time – but only for a fraction of a second.

“The first time, we trapped [the antihydrogen atoms] for a tenth of a second, which is actually long enough to study them,” Menary said. “But naturally we had people asking, ‘why can you only hold on to them for a tenth of second?’ This experiment demonstrates that we can hold on to them for much longer – in theory, for as long as we want,” he said.

See an online gallery of the .

ALPHA physicists, including a core team of scientists from Canadian universities, have been working to trap and study antihydrogen – the antimatter twin of hydrogen – which may help explain the “lost half of the universe.” During the Big Bang, matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts; scientists are left with the question, where did all the antimatter go? Researchers are tackling that riddle by taking one of the best-known systems in physics, the hydrogen atom, and investigating whether its antimatter counterpart behaves in exactly the same manner.

Makoto Fujiwara, the study’s lead author, said: “We know we have confined antihydrogen atoms for at least 1,000 seconds. That’s almost as long as one period in hockey! This is potentially a game changer in antimatter research.” Fujiwara is a research scientist at , Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, and an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary.

Scientists at CERN were able to make antihydrogen almost a decade ago, but they couldn’t study it; antimatter annihilates when it comes into contact with matter, converting to energy and other particles. ALPHA scientists succeeded by constructing a sophisticated “magnetic bottle” using a state-of-the-art superconducting magnet to suspend the antiatoms away from the walls of the device and keep them isolated long enough to study them.

Canadian researchers are playing leading roles in the antihydrogen detection and data analysis aspects of the project. The collaboration includes scientists from University of Calgary, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and TRIUMF.

Above: The TRIUMF cyclotron at the University of British Columbia. Photo courtesy of TRIUMF.

The next step for ALPHA is to start performing measurements on trapped antihydrogen; this is due to get underway later this year. The first step is to illuminate the trapped antiatoms with microwaves, to determine if they absorb precisely the same frequencies (or energies) as their matter twins.

ALPHA-Canada and its research is supported by the (NSERC), TRIUMF, (AIF), the and (FQRNT).

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ particle physicist Sampa Bhadra (below right) has already figured out how she intends to spend her next sabbatical leave when it comes in 2013 – she's hoping to visit British Columbia so she can spend some quality time at a subatomic research facility that’s larger than two city blocks and houses the biggest cyclotron in the world. It will be the ultimate busman’s holiday as she takes part in research into the tiniest secrets of the universe along with scientific colleagues at TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics.

While there, Bhadra, a professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, will also visit with 91��ɫ alumnus Nigel Lockyer (BSc Spec. Hons. ’75), director of TRIUMF, in which 91��ɫ became a partner July 1 (see YFile, July 2). The two met 22 years ago at another subatomic research facility, Fermilab, near Chicago, and established a networking connection that made 91��ɫ’s eventual partnership in TRIUMF possible.

When Lockyer became director in 2007 (see YFile, March 20, 2007), he accepted an invitation from then president Lorna Marsden to visit 91��ɫ's Keele campus and meet the University’s growing team of particle physicists. When he arrived, Lockyer was in the early stages of a campaign to promote membership in TRIUMF to Canadian universities. He quickly recruited Bhadra to champion the idea at 91��ɫ, along with Stan Shapson, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation, and Michael Siu, associate vice-president research, science & technology, and she is now 91��ɫ’s representative on TRIUMF’s Policy & Planning Advisory Committee. 91��ɫ became an associate member of the consortium in September 2008 (see YFile, Sept. 16, 2008).

Taylor	Menary

The Faculty of Science & Engineering has seven researchers, members of 91��ɫ’s group, who will benefit from the association with TRIUMF, says Bhadra. She and fellow experimentalists Scott Menary and Wendy Taylor are the 91��ɫ principal investigators for several projects around the world and the Canadian leaders of these experiments reside at TRIUMF.

91��ɫ theorists Roman Koniuk, Randy Lewis and Kim Maltman have also collaborated closely with TRIUMF physicists, either as staff and/or on sabbatical. The newest member of 91��ɫ’s particle physics group is theorist Veronica Sanz-Gonzalez, who joined 91��ɫ this year from Boston University.

Koniuk	Lewis	Maltman	Sanz-Gonzalez

“Our connection to TRIUMF is long overdue,” says Bhadra. “It’s a great meeting place for scientific discussions; it’s a concentration of experts. The synergy is fantastic right now.”

The benefits of 91��ɫ’s membership will soon be felt at the Keele campus when Lia Merminga, director of TRIUMF’s accelerator division, makes a visit to 91��ɫ in November. “91��ɫ and TRIUMF will be exploring joint intitiatives that will have long-reaching benefits for both institutions,” says Bhadra.

TRIUMF “is a value statement by Canada about the long-term importance of strategic investments in science, technology and innovation,” said Lockyer in a director’s message. “TRIUMF’s accomplishments in basic research (particle and nuclear physics, molecular and materials science, nuclear medicine and information technology), international partnerships and commercial successes with Canadian companies are the proof behind this statement.”

Right: Nigel Lockyer

TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator Complex is recognized as the world’s most advanced laboratory for the production of exotic or “medical” isotopes. While not using the accelerator complex itself, Bhadra and her colleagues have access to the excellent resources provided by TRIUMF in terms of expertise in electronics, computing and engineering support.

TRIUMF's accelerator division has long been recognized as one of the world's best and has contributed hardware and expertise to CERN, the international consortium based in Switzerland that is home to the world's largest particle accelerator.

For more information about TRIUMF, visit its Web site.

Republished with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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