Precision experiments with Antihydrogen
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
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People |
ORCID iD |
| William Bertsche (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
ALPHA Collaboration
(2020)
Investigation of the fine structure of antihydrogen.
in Nature
Baker C
(2023)
Design and performance of a novel low energy multispecies beamline for an antihydrogen experiment
in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams
Baker CJ
(2021)
Sympathetic cooling of positrons to cryogenic temperatures for antihydrogen production.
in Nature communications
Bertsche W
(2022)
A Low Energy H - Beamline for the ALPHA Antihydrogen Experiment
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
So C
(2020)
The ALPHA-g Antihydrogen Gravity Magnet System
in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity
| Description | Influenced policy on students at CERN |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Our students benefit enormously from being permanently at CERN. They learn to work in an international environment at the largest physics lab in the world. Additionally they have the opportunity to contribute significantly and be a significant part of world-leading research. |
| Description | Winterschool on Physics with Trapped Charged Particles 2012 |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Every 3 years I organise a winterschool for PhD Students on the topic of trapped charged particles. The school hosts about 60 students, mostly from Europe, but with a scattering of people from north and south America as well as Asia. It is highly appreciated by everyone in the field and helps young researchers form a wide network in the field as well as of course learning about the field from internationally renowned researchers who join as speakers and tutors. We have done schools in January 2012,2015, 2018 and 2021. I've linked the most recent one below. The next one is planned for January 2024. |
| URL | https://indico.cern.ch/event/880180/overview |
| Description | ALPHA CERN Cryogenics |
| Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
| Department | CERN - Other |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have developed a cryogenics control system for an 8-magnet superconducting magnetic trap, as well as a control and monitoring system for the magnets. |
| Collaborator Contribution | CERN has provided 16 LHC High Temperature Superconducting leads for the realization of a magnetic antimatter trap, as well as providing cryogenics consultation and design support. |
| Impact | Ongoing |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | ALPHA Collaboration |
| Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
| Department | ALPHA Experiment |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As co-founders of the collaboration, we have provided funding and expertise in multiple areas of key importance to this experiment : Super conducting magnets, Lasers, Plasma physics, Trap physics, Antiproton physics, Antitrapping, Positrons, Positron accumulation, Cryogenics. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners and expertise (in parenthesis) are come from Brazil (Lasers), Canada (Detectors/DAQ), Denmark (Lasers, Antihydrogen), UK (Detectors, Plasma physics plus the above), US (plasma physics, Simulation). The contributations are estimated based on 10 year running of the experiment with 30 academics contributing cash for running and maintenance and about 20 FTE's per year of running plus 3M of contributions of kit. |
| Impact | This is an enormously successful collaboration having resulted in 4 Nature papers and a large volume of other papers as well as heavy representation in the media. It is physics-multidisciplinary in that the collaboration spans several normally separate areas of physics : cryogenics, plasma physics, atomic physics, particle physics, fundamental physics, laser physics, positron physics, and spectroscopy |
| Start Year | 2006 |
| Description | CERN Summer Student Program |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | PGR students, postdocs and PIs supervise undegraduate summer research projects at CERN or remotely (during covid). Project work engages students with research taking place at ALPHA and CERN, introduces them to the world of professional physics and high energy research, and generates experience working in an international collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| Description | High school students researching antimatter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Conducted mini research projects with high school groups at Hopkins School, CT USA. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | School visits to Antimatter Factory with tours and presentaitons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | We engage with school classes coming to CERN to visit the Antimatter Factory though presentations and tours of the facilities. This is a good opportunity for them to add some spice to their education and they often ask pertinent questions and express much appreciation for in particular the antimatter part of the programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2022,2023 |
| URL | http://visit.cern/tours |
| Description | Talk and virtual tour of Antimatter Facility |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Held online (covid-obliged) web-cast on antimatter that included a virtual tour of the ALPHA experiment at CERN> |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IDzU89CB0w |