CERN transported antimatter for the first time by loading 92 antiprotons into a mobile trap called BASE-STEP and driving the apparatus around its Geneva campus on March 24.
Stefan Ulmer, Spokesperson of BASE, said magnetic field fluctuations from equipment in CERN’s antimatter facility limit measurement precision, so moving experiments out of the building is required to improve antiproton studies. BASE has previously stored antiprotons for over a year, removing storage lifespan as the primary barrier.
BASE-STEP is a roughly one-ton portable version of the trapping apparatus designed to keep particles suspended using persistent superconducting magnets and a liquid-helium-cooled vacuum chamber. The unit is engineered to absorb up to 1 G of acceleration to smooth road forces.
During the 90-minute test CERN monitored the 92 antiprotons and reported they survived the drive, a step toward sending antimatter to other European labs about eight hours away in Germany. BASE-STEP ran on onboard power for the short test but will require a generator for longer transports.
Read the full article at jalopnik.com.
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