Canadian-built laser chills antimatter to near absolute zero for first time

Researchers with the CERN-based ALPHA collaboration have announced the world’s first laser-based manipulation of antimatter, leveraging a made-in-Canada laser system to cool a sample of antimatter down to near absolute zero. The achievement, detailed in an article published today in the journal Nature will significantly alter the landscape of antimatter research and advance the next generation of experiments.

The video is animation of the laser cooling process: The anti-atom (in black) selectively interacts with the central laser only when it is moving towards the laser source when the laser is Doppler shifted towards a shorter wavelength (in blue.) The scattered photon (in purple) causes the anti-atom to progressively lose kinetic energy, resulting in a smaller and smaller orbit within the magnetic trap.

Credit: Chukman So