Antiproton cloud compression in the ALPHA apparatus at CERN

We have observed a new mechanism for compression of a non-neutral plasma, where antiprotons embedded in an electron plasma are compressed by a rotating wall drive at a frequency close to the sum of the axial bounce and rotation frequencies. The radius of the antiproton cloud is reduced by up to a factor of 20 and the smallest radius measured is ～ 0.2 mm. When the rotating wall drive is applied to either a pure electron or pure antiproton plasma, no compression is observed in the frequency range of interest. The frequency range over which compression is evident is compared to the sum of the antiproton bounce frequency and the system’s rotation frequency. It is suggested that bounce resonant transport is a likely explanation for the compression of antiproton clouds in this regime.     

A radial compression scheme for cooled antiprotons

A novel method is proposed for achieving a fast and efficient radial compression of antiproton clouds trapped and cooled in high magnetic field. The basic operation takes place in a low field solenoid during the transfer of the cooled antiprotons from one trap to the next. It makes use of a special device that imparts to the particles a transverse momentum which compensates exactly their initial generalized momentum. They can therefore be focused onto the solenoid axis and injected in the next high field region with a relatively small radial envelope. After standard trapping and cooling procedures a strongly radial extension is obtained. The operation can be repeated to lead to very small size of the final antiproton cloud. It can be estimated that an initial 1 cm radial extension can be reduced to 1 mm in a first stage and to less than 0.1 mm in a second stage. In this way highest densities (approaching the space charge limit) of trapped antiprotons can be obtained in a relatively short time.     

Interaction between an intense proton bunch and electron beam in a tevatron

An electron lens is capable of producing focusing fields of controllable profile separately for proton and antiproton bunches. This makes it possible to neutralize collision effects. The pioneering experiments with this lens demonstrated that the antiproton lifetime can be reduced from several hundreds to several tens of hours. In this work, we experimentally study processes arising when a high-intensity proton bunch meets an electron beam. Two physical mechanisms that may diminish the lifetime of the antiproton bunch are suggested.     

Study of glow discharge positive column with cloud of disperse particles

The study aims to describe plasma parameters changes induced by clouds of disperse micron size particles. Dust clouds were formed in the positive column of glow discharge in air at pressure 0.1-0.6 torr and current 0.1-3 mA. The simultaneous registration of discharge voltage and dust cloud parameters was carried out. Experimental results were simulated using diffusion model. The dust cloud is shown to smooth the radial electron concentration profile, increase electric field strength and electron temperature and stabilize the discharge. The cloud is demonstrated to be a trap for positive ions without increase of discharge current.     

Particle detectors for the future antiproton Paul trap of the ASACUSA experiment at CERN

Two detectors which will be used to commission a superconducting radiofrequency Paul trap for antiprotons, now being constructed at CERN and MPQ, are described. One is a microwire secondary electron emission monitor which will nondestructively measure the spatial profile of a low energy (E= 10?100 keV) antiproton beam. The other is a system of electromagnetic shower counters which will detect the secondary particles emerging from the antiproton annihilations occurring in the trap.     

Experimental study on influence of cooling on glow discharge parameters

The influence of cooling of the discharge tube walls by the liquid nitrogen on some basic parameters of the neon glow discharge positive column is studied. By probe measurements, the longitudinal electrical fieldE _z, the electron concentrationn _e and the electron temperatureT _e are determined. The equation for determination of the radial profile of the relative electron concentration is derived and, on base of experimentally obtained quantities of the radial potentialV(r), this radial profile is computed.     

Cross-beam atomic collision experiment between ultra-low-energy antiprotons and a supersonic gas jet

The antiproton is a unique projectile in the study of atomic collision physics. With an aim to produce an antiproton beam at atomic-physics energies for ‘pure’ collision experiments, we have so far developed techniques to decelerate, cool and confine antiprotons in vacuo. Our recent success in stable extraction of the beam has opened up the possibility to study ionization and atomic capture processes between an antiproton and an atom at an unprecedented low energy from 10 eV to 1 keV under the single-collision condition. We have prepared a powerful supersonic helium gas jet to be crossed with the antiproton beam. The reaction rate is of the order of 10^???4, and rigorous identification of particles is required for reduction of huge background counts. The reaction events are recognized by an electron signal followed by antiproton annihilation with an appropriate interval in the time of flight. Our design and strategy of the experiment are presented.     

Developments for the direct determination of the g-factor of a single proton in a Penning trap

The measurement and comparison of the magnetic moment (or g-factor) of the proton and antiproton provide a stringent experimental test of the CPT-theorem in the baryonic sector (Quint et al., Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res, B 214:207, 2004). We present an experimental setup for the first direct high-precision measurement of the g-factor of a single isolated proton in a double cylindrical Penning trap. The application of the continuous Stern-Gerlach effect to detect quantum jumps between the two spin states of the particle, together with a novel trap design specially developed for this purpose, offers the possibility of measuring the magnetic moment not only of a single proton but also of a single antiproton. It is aimed to achieve a relative uncertainty of 10^???9 or better. Preliminary results including mass spectra of particle clouds as well as single proton preparation and detection are shown.     

Diagnostics for radial electric field measurements in hot magnetized plasmas

Measurements of the radial electric field profile in magnetically confined plasmas have yielded important new insights in the physics of L-H transitions, edge biasing and/or the active control of Internal and Edge Transport Barriers. The radial electric field is not an easy plasma parameter to diagnose. Techniques to measure the radial electric field in the plasma core are the Heavy Ion Beam Probe and the Motional Stark Effect. An indirect method that is quite often applied is to derive the electric field from measurements of the poloidal and toroidal rotation velocities via the radial ion force balance. This paper will first briefly explain the need for detailed measurements of the radial electric field profile. Subsequently, the various diagnostics to measure this parameter will be reviewed. The emphasis will be especially put on recent trends, rather than on an exhaustive overview. Presented at 5th Workshop “Role of Electric Fields in Plasma Confinement and Exhaust”, Montreux, Switzerland, June 23–24, 2002. Partner in the Trilateral Euregio Cluster     

Fully correlated electronic dynamics for antiproton impact ionization of helium

We present total cross sections for single and double ionization of helium by antiproton impact over a wide range of impact energies from 10 keV/amu to 1 MeV/amu. A nonperturbative time-dependent close-coupling method is applied to fully treat the correlated dynamics of the ionized electrons. Excellent agreement is obtained between our calculations and experimental measurements of total single and double ionization cross sections at high impact energies, whereas for lower impact energies, some discrepancies with experiment are found. At an impact energy of 1 MeV we also find that the double-to-single ionization ratio is twice as large for antiproton impact as for proton impact, confirming a long-standing unexpected experimental measurement.     

Measurement of the high-energy electron and positron spectrum in the PAMELA experiment

The PAMELA magnetic spectrometer onboard the Resurs DK1 satellite no. 1 was put into (Earth) orbit on June 15, 2006; measurements continue at the present time. The scientific objective of the spectrometer is the study of antiproton, proton, positron, electron and light nucleus fluxes in cosmic rays. In this paper, we present the technique for measuring electron and positron spectra in the energy range from 20 to 800 GeV.     

Measurement method of the antiproton gravitational mass using the single electron transistor

We propose a non-destructive method to measure the trajectory of a single antiproton in a drift tube using position sensors based on the single electron transistor. We show that this recently developed device has sufficient sensitivity to detect the electric field of a moving charged particle. Comparing the trajectories of antiprotons and H⁻ ions could allow a reliable determination of the gravitational mass of the antiproton. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coulomb effects in polarization transfer in elastic antiproton and proton electron scattering at low energies

The influence of Coulomb distortion on the polarization transfer in elastic proton and antiproton electron scattering at low energies is calculated in a distorted-wave Born approximation. For antiproton electron scattering Coulomb effects reduce substantially the polarization transfer cross-section compared to the plane-wave Born approximation, whereas for proton electron scattering they lead to a dramatic increase for kinetic proton lab energies below about 20keV.     

The effects of relativistic broadening and frequency down-shift on electron-cyclotron emission measurements in EAST

This paper presents a theoretical calculation of the effects of relativistic broadening and frequency down-shift on the electron cyclotron emission measurements for a wide range of plasma parameters in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The calculation is based on the radiation transfer equation, with the reabsorption and reemission processes taken into account. The broadening effect contributes to the radial resolution of the measure- ment, and the calculation results indicate that it is ～ 2 cm in the case of the central electron temperature 10 keV. A pseudo radial displacement of the obtained electron temperature profile occurs if the relativistic frequency down-shift effect is not taken into account in the determination of the emission layer position. The shift could be a few centimeters as the electron temperature increases, and this effect should be taken into account.     

The effects of relativistic broadening and frequency down-shift on electronben cyclotron emission measurements in EAST

This paper presents a theoretical calculation of the effects of relativistic broadening and frequency down-shift on the electron cyclotron emission measurements for a wide range of plasma parameters in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The calculation is based on the radiation transfer equation, with the reabsorption and reemission processes taken into account. The broadening effect contributes to the radial resolution of the measurement, and the calculation results indicate that it is ～2 cm in the case of the central electron temperature 10 keV. A pseudo radial displacement of the obtained electron temperature profile occurs if the relativistic frequency down-shift effect is not taken into account in the determination of the emission layer position. The shift could be a few centimeters as the electron temperature increases, and this effect should be taken into account.     

Spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium atoms and its contribution to the fundamental physical constants

Antiprotonic helium atom, a metastable neutral system consisting of an antiproton, an electron and a helium nucleus, was serendipitously discovered, and has been studied at CERN’s antiproton decelerator facility. Its transition frequencies have recently been measured to nine digits of precision by laser spectroscopy. By comparing these experimental results with three-body QED calculations, the antiproton-to-electron massratio was determined as 1836.152674(5). This result contributed to the CODATA recommended values of the fundamental physical constants.     

Antiproton and charged kaon production in \sqrt {s_{NN} } = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHICGeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC

Preliminary results on antiproton and charged kaon spectra and the net-proton number at mid-rapidity are reported for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 130$ GeV as measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. Inverse slope parameters of the transverse mass distributions increase with the collision centrality, consistent with a strong radial flow. The antiproton and charged kaon extrapolated yields, normalized to the uncorrected negatively charged hadron yield, increase with the collision centrality. A finite but small number of net-baryons is found to be present at mid-rapidity.     

Experimental demonstration of colliding-beam-lifetime improvement by electron lenses

We report the successful application of space-charge forces of a low-energy electron beam for improvement of particle lifetime determined by beam-beam interaction at a high-energy collider. In our experiments, an electron lens, a novel instrument developed for the beam-beam compensation, was set on a 980-GeV proton bunch at the Fermilab Tevatron proton-antiproton collider. The proton-bunch losses due to its interaction with the antiproton beam were reduced by a factor of 2 when the electron lens was operating. We describe the principle of electron lens operation and present experimental results.     

Exotics at PANDA

One highlight in the field of hadron spectroscopy is the recent discovery of unexpected charmonium-like X, Y, Z resonances. The nature of most of these states is still controversial and emphasizes the discussion on exotic states with gluonic degrees of freedom. The PANDA experiment, a core project of the future Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) at GSI in Darmstadt, will investigate antiproton annihilations with the aim to explore fundamental questions in the nonperturbative region of QCD. The PANDA detector, equipped with a fixed target and provided with a high quality antiproton beam in the momentum range between 1.5 and 15 GeV/c, is optimized for high precision measurements of hadrons with masses up to 5 GeV/c ² and in particular of resonances in the charmonium and open charm region. Due to the gluon-rich antiproton annihilation process, it is expected to observe exotic states and therefore to answer fundamental questions in this field. The physics program for the search for exotics is outlined and detailed feasibility studies are presented. Furthermore, strategies for the unambiguous determination of the quantum numbers of these states are discussed.     

Optical properties of mixed phase boundary layer clouds observed from a tethered balloon platform in the Arctic

A tethered balloon system was used to collect data on radiometric and cloud microphysical properties for mixed phase boundary layer clouds, consisting of ice crystals and liquid water droplets during a May–June 2008 experimental campaign in Ny-Ålesund, Norway, located high in the Arctic at 78.9°N, 11.9°E. The balloon instrumentation was controlled and powered from the ground making it possible to fly for long durations and to profile clouds vertically in a systematic manner. We use a radiative transfer model to analyze the radiometric measurements and estimate the optical properties of mixed-phase clouds. The results demonstrate the ability of instruments deployed on a tethered balloon to provide information about optical properties of mixed-phase clouds in the Arctic. Our radiative transfer simulations show that cloud layering has little impact on the total downward irradiance measured at the ground as long as the total optical depth remains unchanged. In contrast, the mean intensity measured by an instrument deployed on a balloon depends on the vertical cloud structure and is thus sensitive to the altitude of the balloon. We use the total downward irradiance measured by a ground-based radiometer to estimate the total optical depth and the mean intensity measured at the balloon to estimate the vertical structure of the cloud optical depth.