In a groundbreaking achievement, a collaborative research team spearheaded by the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered a new antimatter hypernucleus, marking a significant advancement in antimatter exploration.
The team successfully observed anti-hyperhydrogen-4, the heaviest antimatter hypernucleus identified to date, using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in the United States. This discovery, published in the latest issue of Nature, opens new avenues for understanding the fundamental properties of antimatter.
Current physics theories propose that matter and antimatter possess symmetrical properties and that both existed in equal amounts during the universe's inception. However, a slight asymmetry emerged, leading to the dominance of matter in the cosmos today. \"What caused the difference in quantities of matter and antimatter in the universe? To answer this question, an important approach is to create new antimatter in the laboratory and study its properties,\" explained Qiu Hao, a researcher from IMP.
Antimatter is exceptionally rare in our matter-dominated world due to its tendency to annihilate upon contact with matter. Producing antimatter nuclei and hypernuclei is an even greater challenge. Since the prediction of antimatter's existence in 1928, only six types of antimatter (hyper)nuclei have been discovered, according to Qiu.
The anti-hyperhydrogen-4 was synthesized at RHIC, which accelerates heavy ion beams to nearly the speed of light, creating collisions that mimic the early universe's conditions. These high-energy collisions generate fireballs with temperatures reaching trillions of degrees, producing roughly equal amounts of matter and antimatter. As the fireball expands and cools, some antimatter escapes annihilation and is detected by the STAR detector.
Wu Junlin, a PhD student at IMP, shared, \"After analyzing experimental data of approximately 6.6 billion heavy-ion collision events, we reconstructed anti-hyperhydrogen-4 from its decay products.\" The team also measured the lifetime of anti-hyperhydrogen-4 and found it to be consistent with that of its matter counterpart, hyperhydrogen-4, thereby reinforcing the symmetry between matter and antimatter.
This discovery not only enhances our understanding of antimatter but also provides deeper insights into the universe's fundamental workings, paving the way for future research in particle physics.
Reference(s):
Breakthrough: China-led team makes new discovery in antimatter
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