Andrea Capra
Associate Research Scientist
Dr. Andrea Capra’s research is chiefly concerned with the application of detector technologies to antimatter, nuclear and atomic physics.
Antimatter is seemingly absent in our Universe, and yet the most predictive fundamental theories cannot account for that absence. This discrepancy could take the form of a violation of a fundamental symmetry called Charge-Parity-Time symmetry, or ‘CPT’. Alternatively, there could be a deviation from the behaviour predicted by the General Relativity. At ALPHA at CERN, we produce and magnetically trap the simplest atom made of antimatter: the antihydrogen atom. Capra is fascinated to find out whether there exists any difference with respect to ordinary hydrogen, that could explain the lack of antimatter in the Universe.
High precision experiments are required to continue with the success of the ALPHA experiment. The path finder for the next generation of antihydrogen experiments is an ambitious initiative by the ALPHA-Canada group, called HAICU.