First measurement of the antihydrogen production cross section through the charge-exchange reaction of low-energy antiprotons with orthopositronium
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The GBAR experiment has measured the formation rate of antihydrogen from antiproton impact on a positronium cloud for antiproton kinetic energies of 4 and 6 keV. This is the first charge-exchange cross section measurement performed using antiproton beams, which are provided by the AD-ELENA facility at CERN. The measured cross section values are $(14.1 \pm 1.3 \mathrm{(stat)} ^{+2.2}_{-1.4} \mathrm{(sys)}) \times 10^{-16}$~cm$^2$ at 6.2 keV energy and $(8.7 \pm 2.4 \mathrm{(stat)} ^{+1.5}_{-0.09} \mathrm{(sys)}) \times 10^{-16}$~cm$^2$ at 4.15 keV energy, and agree with recent theoretical three-body calculations for antihydrogen formation. These measurements are an important input for experiments with antimatter, e.g the planned measurements of antihydrogen gravitational acceleration in the GBAR collaboration.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: GBAR Collaboration, Adrich, P., Belosevic, I., Chung, M., Cladé, P., Comini, P., Crivelli, P., Debu, P., Douillet, A., Geffroy, S., Guellati-Khelifa, S., Guichard, P., Hervieux, P. -A., Hilico, L., Indelicato, P., Jonsell, S., Karr, J. -P., Kim, B., Kim, S., Kim, E. -S., Kuroda, N., Lee, B., Liszkay, L., Lunney, D., Manfredi, G., Mansoulié, B., Martimort, V., Matusiak, M., Nesvizhevsky, V., Nez, F., Park, K., Paul, N., Perez, E., Pérez, P., Regenfus, C., Roumegou, C., Roussé, J. -Y., Schmidt-Kaler, F., Szymczyk, K., Tanaka, T. A., Tuchming, B., van der Werf, D. P., Won, D., Wronka, S., Yzombard, P.
Institutions: National Centre for Nuclear Research, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Saclay, Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, École Normale Supérieure - PSL, Sorbonne Université, ETH Zurich, Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Université d'Évry Val-d'Essonne, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules, Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Stockholm University, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul National University, Korea University, The University of Tokyo, Swansea University, Institut Laue-Langevin, European Organization for Nuclear Research, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Language: English
Topic: Atomic and Molecular Physics
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: CERN, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Vetenskapsrådet, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
Awards: G1109023570, Gravitational Behaviour of Anti-hydrogen at Rest (GBAR), Determination of the charge radius of antiproton and test of CPT symmetry through the Lamb shift measurement of antihydrogen, Par-delà les frontières, l'Université de Strasbourg, G2255650664, G2756832313, 重イオンビームフォイル分光研究, Gravitational Behaviour of Anti-hydrogen at Rest (GBAR), Catheter ABlation of Atrial fibrillation versus atrioventricular nodal ablation with CondUction System pacing in persistent atrial fibrillation and heart failure (ABACUS), Study of Exotic Matter, Antihydrogen and few-body physics, Quantum Science and Nanomaterials, Study of exotic atoms by microwave spectroscopy, Exploring stopping power in ion traps, Antihydrogen physics, Nanostructures en Interaction avec leur Environnement, G8050745384, Study of Positronium-Hydrogen Interactions: Negative hydrogen production Cross-Sections, Antimatter atoms and ions
OpenAlex ID: W7214781566