A new path toward gravity experiments with anti-hydrogen

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel experimental method to produce and trap antihydrogen ions using antiproton beams and positronium, enabling precise measurements of antimatter gravity effects.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach combining reactions with large cross sections to generate and trap antihydrogen ions for gravity experiments.

Findings

Proposed a method to produce H+ ions from antiprotons and positronium.

Outlined a process to trap and cool antihydrogen ions for gravitational measurement.

Suggested laser techniques to remove positrons and measure antimatter gravity.

Abstract

We propose to use a 13 KeV antiproton beam passing through a dense cloud of positronium (Ps) atoms to produce an H+ beam. These ions can be slowed down and captured by a trap. The process involves two reactions with large cross sections under the same experimental conditions. These reactions are the interaction of p with PS to produce H and the e+ capture by H reacting on PS to produce H+. Once decelerated with an electrostatic field and captured in a trap the H+ ions could be cooled and the e+ removed with a laser to perform a measurement of the gravitational acceleration of neutral antimatter in the gravity field of the Earth.