Production of Slow Protonium in Vacuum
N.Zurlo, M.Amoretti, C.Amsler, G.Bonomi, C.Carraro, C.L.Cesar,, M.Charlton, M.Doser, A.Fontana, R.Funakoshi, P.Genova, R.S.Hayano,, L.V.Jorgensen, A.Kellerbauer, V.Lagomarsino, R.Landua, E.Lodi Rizzini,, M.Macri', N.Madsen, G.Manuzio, D.Mitchard, P.Montagna, L.G.Posada, H.Pruys,
TL;DR
This paper reports the synthesis of protonium, an antiproton-proton bound system, in a vacuum environment, demonstrating its potential for laser spectroscopy studies and providing new insights into antimatter interactions.
Contribution
It introduces a novel method for producing protonium in a controlled environment using antiprotons and H₂⁺ ions in a Penning trap, with evidence of low-energy states around n=70.
Findings
Protonium produced with sub-eV kinetic energies.
Protonium states around n=70 identified.
New system suitable for laser spectroscopy.
Abstract
We describe how protonium, the quasi-stable antiproton-proton bound system, has been synthesized following the interaction of antiprotons with the molecular ion H in a nested Penning trap environment. From a careful analysis of the spatial distributions of antiproton annihilation events in the ATHENA experiment, evidence is presented for protonium production with sub-eV kinetic energies in states around = 70, with low angular momenta. This work provides a new 2-body system for study using laser spectroscopic techniques.
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