CERN Accelerating science

Article
Title Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter
Author(s)

Anderson, E K (Aarhus U.) ; Baker, C J (Swansea U.) ; Bertsche, W (Manchester U. ; Cockcroft Inst. Accel. Sci. Tech. ; Liverpool U.) ; Bhatt, N M (Swansea U.) ; Bonomi, G (INFN, Pavia ; Brescia U.) ; Capra, A (TRIUMF) ; Carli, I (TRIUMF) ; Cesar, C L (Rio de Janeiro Federal U.) ; Charlton, M (Swansea U.) ; Christensen, A (UC, Berkeley) ; Collister, R (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; Cridland Mathad, A (Swansea U.) ; Quiceno, D Duque (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; Eriksson, S (Swansea U.) ; Evans, A (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; Evetts, N (British Columbia U.) ; Fabbri, S (Manchester U. ; CERN) ; Fajans, J (UC, Berkeley) ; Ferwerda, A (York U., Canada) ; Friesen, T (Calgary U.) ; Fujiwara, M C (TRIUMF) ; Gill, D R (TRIUMF) ; Golino, L M (Swansea U.) ; Gonçalves, M B Gomes (Swansea U.) ; Grandemange, P (TRIUMF) ; Granum, P (Aarhus U.) ; Hangst, J S (Aarhus U.) ; Hayden, M E (Simon Fraser U., Burnaby (main)) ; Hodgkinson, D (Manchester U. ; UC, Berkeley) ; Hunter, E D (UC, Berkeley) ; Isaac, C A (Swansea U.) ; Jimenez, A J U (TRIUMF) ; Johnson, M A (Manchester U. ; Cockcroft Inst. Accel. Sci. Tech. ; Liverpool U.) ; Jones, J M (Swansea U.) ; Jones, S A (U. Groningen, VSI) ; Jonsell, S (Stockholm U.) ; Khramov, A (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; Madsen, N (Swansea U.) ; Martin, L (TRIUMF) ; Massacret, N (TRIUMF) ; Maxwell, D (Swansea U.) ; McKenna, J T K (Aarhus U. ; Manchester U.) ; Menary, S (York U., Canada) ; Momose, T (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; Mostamand, M (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; Mullan, P S (Swansea U. ; Zurich, ETH) ; Nauta, J (Swansea U.) ; Olchanski, K (TRIUMF) ; Oliveira, A N (Aarhus U.) ; Peszka, J (Swansea U. ; Zurich, ETH) ; Powell, A (Calgary U.) ; Rasmussen, C Ø (CERN) ; Robicheaux, F (Purdue U.) ; Sacramento, R L (Rio de Janeiro Federal U.) ; Sameed, M (Manchester U. ; CERN) ; Sarid, E (Soreq Nucl. Res. Ctr. ; Ben Gurion U. of Negev) ; Schoonwater, J (Swansea U.) ; Silveira, D M (Rio de Janeiro Federal U.) ; Singh, J (Manchester U.) ; Smith, G (TRIUMF ; British Columbia U.) ; So, C (TRIUMF) ; Stracka, S (INFN, Pisa) ; Stutter, G (Aarhus U. ; Sussex U.) ; Tharp, T D (Marquette U.) ; Thompson, K A (Swansea U.) ; Thompson, R I (TRIUMF ; Calgary U.) ; Thorpe-Woods, E (Swansea U.) ; Torkzaban, C (UC, Berkeley) ; Urioni, M (INFN, Pavia ; Brescia U.) ; Woosaree, P (Calgary U.) ; Wurtele, J S (UC, Berkeley)

Publication 2023
Number of pages 23
In: Nature 621 (2023) 716-722
DOI 10.1038/s41586-023-06527-1
Subject category General Relativity and Cosmology
Accelerator/Facility, Experiment CERN ALPHA
Abstract Einstein’s general theory of relativity from 19151 remains the most successful description of gravitation. From the 1919 solar eclipse2 to the observation of gravitational waves3, the theory has passed many crucial experimental tests. However, the evolving concepts of dark matter and dark energy illustrate that there is much to be learned about the gravitating content of the universe. Singularities in the general theory of relativity and the lack of a quantum theory of gravity suggest that our picture is incomplete. It is thus prudent to explore gravity in exotic physical systems. Antimatter was unknown to Einstein in 1915. Dirac’s theory4 appeared in 1928; the positron was observed5 in 1932. There has since been much speculation about gravity and antimatter. The theoretical consensus is that any laboratory mass must be attracted6 by the Earth, although some authors have considered the cosmological consequences if antimatter should be repelled by matter7–10. In the general theory of relativity, the weak equivalence principle (WEP) requires that all masses react identically to gravity, independent of their internal structure. Here we show that antihydrogen atoms, released from magnetic confinement in the ALPHA-g apparatus, behave in a way consistent with gravitational attraction to the Earth. Repulsive ‘antigravity’ is ruled out in this case. This experiment paves the way for precision studies of the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration between anti-atoms and the Earth to test the WEP.
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Corresponding record in: Inspire
 Record created 2023-10-10, last modified 2024-09-27