GoKawiilBASE-STEP demonstrates transportable trap for holding antiprotons
CERN's BASE-STEP experiment built a compact catching trap using 15 stacked electrodes and magnetic confinement to capture antiprotons from a degraded beam, cool them with cotrapped electrons, and clean out contaminant particles like electrons and negative ions through voltage ramping and dipolar drives. The particles are then moved into a compensated Penning trap at the center of the device for stable, non-destructive detection and storage.
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This technique enables antiprotons to be captured, purified, and confined in a portable trap rather than requiring a fixed accelerator facility, opening the door to transporting antimatter for experiments elsewhere. Precise removal of contaminant particles is critical because even small amounts of stray charge can destabilize the trapped antiproton cloud, making accurate measurements of matter-antimatter symmetry possible only with this level of control.
- A 15-electrode coaxial trap captures antiprotons using precisely timed high-voltage pulses.
- Cotrapped electrons cool the antiprotons, then contaminant ions are removed via voltage ramping and RF drives.
- The purified antiprotons are moved into a Penning trap for stable confinement, paving the way for portable antimatter transport.
Source: nature.com — Leonhardt, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “Road transport of trapped antiprotons”
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