CERN Physicists Trap Antimatter for a Record Amount of Time

In what has enormous potential for the future of energy production and space propulsion systems, scientists were recently able to contain a sample of Antimatter for an unparalleled 16 minutes. Typically only lasting for fractions of a second, this amount of time is far in excess than anything thought previously possible.

In a study published in Nature Physics, Makoto Fujiwara, lead author of a study said, “It was quite a surprise,” after the team was able to trap the antimatter for a full 1,000 seconds. The team working at the CERN particle accelerator, had their first success as part of their ALPHA experiment when they trapped the antihydrogen atoms for about one fifth of a second.

When matter and antimatter interact they immediately destroy one another, which is why it has been so hard to isolate and study antimatter. The result of the destruction however is a release of pure energy. The success of this team opens up a whole new world of exploration enabling scientists to now study a material which until recently was only theory.

Antimatter is made up of “antiparticles” that have the same mass as corresponding particles of matter, but an opposite charge. For example, the antimatter counterpart of a negatively charged electron is a positively charged positron.

If scientist can learn to harness the power of the interaction between matter and antimatter, it could lead to a new level of energy for the planet, propulsion systems for space travel, and a vast array of other technological leaps forward.