11.08.2020

Proton source

The first project has started at our new location Kegelgasse.

 

The proton source being developed at our new location in Kegelgasse forms a significant part of the FWF project: Characterisation of (anti)hydrogen formation in ASACUSA. The aim of this project is to produce hydrogen using the same methods used to produce antihydrogen by the ASACUSA collaboration.  

Hydrogen is the simplest atomic system which consists of a single positively charged proton and a negatively charged electron. It is ubiquitous in nature and the most well studied and understood systems in the physical sciences! Antihydrogen on the other hand requires a negatively charged antiproton (only available from CERNs antiproton decelerator) and a positively charged positron (usually obtained from a radioactive source).  

This small piece of apparatus produces protons by ionizing hydrogen gas with an electron beam. The protons are then ejected onto a detector where they can be counted, and their position determined. PhD student Andreas Lanz and Masters degree student Alina Weiser (photographed above) are working on optimising the settings before the device is moved to CERN to be used for experiments to make hydrogen.