Trapping of antiprotons in a large penning trap: Progress towards a measurement of the gravitational acceleration of the antiproton

摘要

A measurement of the acceleration of antiprotons in the Earth's gravitational field was proposed to C.E.R.N. in 1986 and was accepted as experiment PS200 for operation at LEAR. In preparation for this experiment up to 50, 000 antiprotons have been captured into a large Penning trap and stored for several minutes. This paper describes the experimental technique used and possible improvements in the total number of particles captured and the storage time achieved. We also discuss the current status of the development of the gravity experiment.