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Laser cooling of antihydrogen atoms.
Baker, C J; Bertsche, W; Capra, A; Carruth, C; Cesar, C L; Charlton, M; Christensen, A; Collister, R; Mathad, A Cridland; Eriksson, S; Evans, A; Evetts, N; Fajans, J; Friesen, T; Fujiwara, M C; Gill, D R; Grandemange, P; Granum, P; Hangst, J S; Hardy, W N; Hayden, M E; Hodgkinson, D; Hunter, E; Isaac, C A; Johnson, M A; Jones, J M; Jones, S A; Jonsell, S; Khramov, A; Knapp, P; Kurchaninov, L; Madsen, N; Maxwell, D; McKenna, J T K; Menary, S; Michan, J M; Momose, T; Mullan, P S; Munich, J J; Olchanski, K; Olin, A; Peszka, J; Powell, A; Pusa, P; Rasmussen, C Ø; Robicheaux, F; Sacramento, R L; Sameed, M; Sarid, E; Silveira, D M.
  • Baker CJ; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Bertsche W; School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  • Capra A; Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK.
  • Carruth C; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Cesar CL; Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  • Charlton M; Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Christensen A; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Collister R; Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  • Mathad AC; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Eriksson S; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Evans A; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Evetts N; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
  • Fajans J; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Friesen T; Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  • Fujiwara MC; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
  • Gill DR; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Makoto.Fujiwara@triumf.ca.
  • Grandemange P; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Granum P; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Hangst JS; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
  • Hardy WN; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • Hayden ME; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. jeffrey.hangst@cern.ch.
  • Hodgkinson D; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Hunter E; Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Isaac CA; School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  • Johnson MA; Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
  • Jones JM; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Jones SA; School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  • Jonsell S; Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK.
  • Khramov A; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Knapp P; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • Kurchaninov L; Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Madsen N; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Maxwell D; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • McKenna JTK; Department of Physics, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Menary S; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Michan JM; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Momose T; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Mullan PS; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Munich JJ; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Olchanski K; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
  • Olin A; Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Peszka J; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Powell A; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Pusa P; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. momose@chem.ubc.ca.
  • Rasmussen CØ; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. momose@chem.ubc.ca.
  • Robicheaux F; Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. momose@chem.ubc.ca.
  • Sacramento RL; Department of Physics, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
  • Sameed M; Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Sarid E; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Silveira DM; TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Nature ; 592(7852): 35-42, 2021 04.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33790445
ABSTRACT
The photon-the quantum excitation of the electromagnetic field-is massless but carries momentum. A photon can therefore exert a force on an object upon collision1. Slowing the translational motion of atoms and ions by application of such a force2,3, known as laser cooling, was first demonstrated 40 years ago4,5. It revolutionized atomic physics over the following decades6-8, and it is now a workhorse in many fields, including studies on quantum degenerate gases, quantum information, atomic clocks and tests of fundamental physics. However, this technique has not yet been applied to antimatter. Here we demonstrate laser cooling of antihydrogen9, the antimatter atom consisting of an antiproton and a positron. By exciting the 1S-2P transition in antihydrogen with pulsed, narrow-linewidth, Lyman-α laser radiation10,11, we Doppler-cool a sample of magnetically trapped antihydrogen. Although we apply laser cooling in only one dimension, the trap couples the longitudinal and transverse motions of the anti-atoms, leading to cooling in all three dimensions. We observe a reduction in the median transverse energy by more than an order of magnitude-with a substantial fraction of the anti-atoms attaining submicroelectronvolt transverse kinetic energies. We also report the observation of the laser-driven 1S-2S transition in samples of laser-cooled antihydrogen atoms. The observed spectral line is approximately four times narrower than that obtained without laser cooling. The demonstration of laser cooling and its immediate application has far-reaching implications for antimatter studies. A more localized, denser and colder sample of antihydrogen will drastically improve spectroscopic11-13 and gravitational14 studies of antihydrogen in ongoing experiments. Furthermore, the demonstrated ability to manipulate the motion of antimatter atoms by laser light will potentially provide ground-breaking opportunities for future experiments, such as anti-atomic fountains, anti-atom interferometry and the creation of antimatter molecules.