Scientists have made a discovery about antimatter, a mysterious substance that played a crucial role in the early Universe. This discovery sheds light on how the matter, composed of the antiparticles, interacts with gravity, a fundamental force that governs the Universe.
The discovery was made by a team of scientists at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. The team used a particle accelerator to create and study antihydrogen atoms. Antihydrogen is the antimatter equivalent of hydrogen.
The scientists found that antihydrogen atoms fall down in a gravitational field, just like matter atoms do. This suggests that antimatter and matter interact with gravity in the same way. This is a significant finding, as it could help scientists to better understand the nature of antimatter and its role in the Universe.
Antimatter is composed of antiparticles that are oppositely charged to their conventional counterparts. Despite being created in equal amounts during the Big Bang, antimatter is incredibly scarce in the observable Universe. Its counterpart, matter, the building block of stars and planets, exists in abundance.
Physicists have been studying both matter and antimatter to understand their differences and similarities. The recent revelation is a turning point in this pursuit.
One astounding aspect is the confirmation that antimatter behaves just like matter does under gravity. This revelation challenges previous notions that antimatter might fall up in response to gravity instead of falling down. This is a hypothesis that would have fundamentally shaken the foundations of physics.
Scientists now confirm that atoms of antimatter, contrary to earlier hypotheses, do indeed fall downward when subjected to gravity. This finding opens new avenues for experiments and theories, leading to several questions yet to be explored.
The process involves constructing thousands of antimatter atoms from subatomic particles, trapping them, and then observing their behaviour, particularly how they respond to the pull of gravity.
Professor Jeffrey Hangst proposes a possibility based on current understanding: a universe where everything, including humans, could be made of antimatter.
Generally, everything is composed of minuscule particles known as atoms. Among these, the simplest is hydrogen, a ubiquitous element found abundantly in the heart of the Sun. A hydrogen atom is structured with a positively charged proton at its nucleus orbited by a negatively charged electron.
Antimatter is characterised by reversed electric charges compared to regular matter. This fundamental distinction gives rise to different behaviour at the subatomic level. Enter antihydrogen, the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen, which takes centrestage in the experiments at CERN.
Antihydrogen defies convention with a negatively charged proton, known as an antiproton, residing at its core, while a positively charged version of the electron, called a positron, orbits around it. This inversion of charge properties sets antimatter apart and serves as a pivotal factor in the ongoing research.
These antiparticles are created by subjecting particles to high-energy collisions within the laboratory’s accelerators. However, the antiprotons generated travel at nearly the speed of light, too fast for researchers to control.
Therefore, scientists employed a technique to manage antiprotons. The first step involves sending the antiprotons into a circular path, likely within a ring-shaped apparatus. This process reduces their energy, gradually bringing them to a more manageable speed.
Once the antiprotons are slowed down, they are carefully directed into a large magnet. Within this magnetic enclosure, antiprotons and positrons combine to form thousands of antihydrogen atoms. This controlled process provides scientists with an opportunity to work with antimatter, an otherwise elusive and short-lived substance, for their experiments.
When antimatter touches regular matter, it would lead to instantaneous annihilation. Thus, the prevention of any contact with surfaces was crucial.
CERN researchers conduct experiments to confirm Einstein’s prediction that antimatter indeed falls downward under the influence of gravity. However, this confirmation raises another intriguing question: Does it fall at the same rate as regular matter?
This endeavour could yield insights into an enduring question in science: the origin of the Universe itself.