Towards Precision Measurements of the Hyperfine Splitting of Antihydrogen
Date
2024-12-04
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Abstract
The observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in our universe remains to be one of the foremost mysteries that contradicts our current theories of physics. The search for possible causes of the asymmetry lies at the leading edge of experimental particle physics, with experiments around the world dedicated to the study of antimatter. The study of the antihydrogen atom, the antimatter analogue to the hydrogen atom, is the primary motivation of the ALPHA Collaboration based at CERN. Through detailed observations and measurements of the antihydrogen atom structure, we can draw comparisons with the well-known structure of the hydrogen atom and search for possible asymmetries between matter and antimatter. The hyperfine structure of antihydrogen is both sensitive to fundamental interactions and has been measured to a high precision in hydrogen, making it a prime candidate for study. Any observed discrepancy between the hyperfine structure of hydrogen and antihydrogen would be a pivotal discovery and advancement in our understanding of the universe. This thesis will describe the measurement of the hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen performed by ALPHA, with the aim of providing an improved result and precision to previously published values [1]. It will briefly include a historical review of antimatter, then will discuss the theory behind the hyperfine structure, the various apparatuses used by the ALPHA Collaboration to produce, confine and manipulate antimatter particles, and the experimental procedure used to perform this measurement. I also demonstrate the usage of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) to provide precise measurements of the magnetic field used to trap the antihydrogen atoms. I will summarize my work done on the hyperfine splitting and ECR measurements performed over the last two years, and present details regarding my work quantifying some of the prominent systematics of the experiment.
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Keywords
Antimatter, Antihydrogen, Spectroscopy, Atomic Physics
Citation
Suh, J. (2024). Towards precision measurements of the hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.