Laser cooling of antihydrogen for fundamental symmetry tests with ALPHA at CERN

这项RTI建议将直接和实质性地支持基于CERN的阿尔法(反氢激光物理仪器)国际合作的研究计划。具体地说，它支持加拿大领导的激光冷却反氢的激光倡议的设备。阿尔法是一个国际项目，其目标是测量和比较“反氢”的某些性质和普通氢的性质。反氢是中性反物质最简单的原子形式。阿尔法将直接测试和挑战关于物质和反物质之间的异同(对称性)的基本理论，这个问题可以说是物理学中最大的悬而未决的问题之一。近年来，阿尔法在追求其主要目标的过程中取得了许多重大和引人注目的里程碑，包括：低温冷却技术的新应用(2010年)、稳定(2010年)和长期(2011年)捕获中性反物质，以及对捕获反氢的微波原理研究的证明(2012年)。 在实现了反氢捕获和第一个光谱学的里程碑之后，阿尔法目前正在进行重大升级。新的设备(阿尔法-2)将提供激光访问捕获的反氢，以及改善激光和微波光谱学的磁场均匀度。加拿大阿尔法的激光小组一直在开发一种莱曼-阿尔法激光系统，用于1s-2p单光子光谱和反氢的激光冷却。这个莱曼-阿尔法激光系统和阿尔法-2陷阱中的新光学通道将首次允许激光冷却反氢，这是该领域多年来一直梦想的。这笔RTI赠款将提供关键设备，使激光在2014年底和2015年的预定光束时间内将反氢冷却到~20MK成为可能。这项RTI提案的目标包括在欧洲核子研究中心发展光学传输，以及在欧洲核子研究中心安装激光系统的自动化和稳定。为了能够在欧洲核子研究中心的反质子束在2014年变得活跃之前安装莱曼-阿尔法激光系统，迫切需要拟议的设备。这些仪器将帮助实现在物质和反物质之间进行精确对称测试的雄心勃勃的目标。阿尔法-加拿大在这一领域拥有独特的专业知识。拟议中的激光计划将使加拿大物理学家能够从加拿大在过去几年中对阿尔法的开发和运营所作的重大投资中获得科学利益，这导致了我们最近的突破。

This RTI proposal will directly and substantively support the research program of the international, CERN-based, ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) Collaboration. Specifically, it supports equipment for the Canadian-led laser initiative on laser cooling of antihydrogen. ALPHA is an international project whose goal is to measure and compare certain properties of 'antihydrogen' - the simplest atomic form of neutral antimatter - with those of ordinary hydrogen. ALPHA will directly test and challenge fundamental theories with regard to the similarities and differences ('symmetries') between matter and antimatter, an issue that is arguably one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics. In recent years, ALPHA has achieved many significant and high profile milestones in its pursuit of its primary goal, including: novel application of cryogenic cooling techniques (2010), stable (2010) and long term (2011) trapping of neutral antimatter, and proof of principle microwave studies of trapped antihydrogen (2012). Having achieved its milestones of antihydrogen trapping and the first spectroscopy, ALPHA is currently undergoing a major upgrade. The new apparatus (ALPHA-2) will provide laser access to trapped antihydrogen, as well as improved magnetic field homogeneity for laser and microwave spectroscopy. The laser group in ALPHA-Canada has been developing a Lyman-alpha laser system for 1s-2p one-photon spectroscopy and laser cooling of antihydrogen. This Lyman-alpha laser system and the new optical access in ALPHA-2 trap will allow laser cooling of antihydrogen for the first time, which has been a dream for those in the field for many years. This RTI grant will provide critical equipment to make laser cooling of antihydrogen to ~20 mK possible at scheduled beam times in late 2014 and 2015. The goals of this RTI proposal include development of optical transport at CERN and the automation and stabilization of the laser system to be installed at CERN. The proposed equipment is needed, immediately and urgently, to be able to install the Lyman-alpha laser system before the antiproton beam at CERN becomes active in 2014. These instruments will help make possible the ambitious goal of performing precision symmetry tests between matter and antimatter. ALPHA-Canada has unique expertise in this area. The proposed laser initiative will allow Canadian physicists to reap the scientific benefits of the significant investment Canada has made to the development and operation of ALPHA over the past several years, which has led to our recent breakthroughs.