Evaporative Cooling of Antiprotons to Cryogenic Temperatures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the successful application of evaporative cooling to trapped antiprotons, achieving temperatures as low as 9 K, and models the process to predict future cooling efficiencies, advancing antiproton and antihydrogen research.

Contribution

It introduces a novel evaporative cooling method for antiprotons, with experimental validation and theoretical modeling that align well, enabling improved cooling techniques for trapped ions.

Findings

Achieved antiproton temperatures down to 9 K

Model accurately predicts cooling efficiency

Potential for enhanced antihydrogen CPT tests

Abstract

We report the application of evaporative cooling to clouds of trapped antiprotons, resulting in plasmas with measured temperature as low as 9~K. We have modeled the evaporation process for charged particles using appropriate rate equations. Good agreement between experiment and theory is observed, permitting prediction of cooling efficiency in future experiments. The technique opens up new possibilities for cooling of trapped ions and is of particular interest in antiproton physics, where a precise \emph{CPT} test on trapped antihydrogen is a long-standing goal.