New Experiments with Antiprotons

TL;DR

Fermilab's intense antiproton source enables a variety of experiments, including rare decay searches, charm physics, and antimatter gravity tests, promising significant advances in fundamental physics post-Tevatron.

Contribution

The paper proposes new experimental opportunities using Fermilab's antiproton source for diverse physics measurements, including antimatter gravity and rare decay studies.

Findings

Potential for world-leading sensitivities in hyperon decay and CP violation.

Possibility to study charm mixing and search for new physics.

First measurement of gravitational force on antimatter using novel techniques.

Abstract

Fermilab operates the world's most intense antiproton source. Newly proposed experiments can use those antiprotons either parasitically during Tevatron Collider running or after the Tevatron Collider finishes. For example, the annihilation of 8 GeV antiprotons is expected to yield world-leading sensitivities to hyperon rare decays and CP violation. It could also provide the world's most intense source of tagged D^0 mesons, and thus the best near-term opportunity to study charm mixing and, via CP violation, to search for new physics. Other precision measurements that could be made include properties of the X(3872) and the charmonium system. An experiment using a Penning trap and an atom interferometer could make the world's first measurement of the gravitational force on antimatter. These and other potential measurements using antiprotons could lead to a broad physics program at Fermilab in the post-Tevatron era.