Antimatter (matter’s twin) is tossed around in pop culture as a means of space propulsion (Star Trek) or as a means of destruction (Angels and Demons) but at the recent Unveiling the Universe lecture on July 18, TRIUMF’s Dr. Makoto Fujiwara pointed out that antimatter is “not science fiction, it is science fact.” For a full house at Science World’s OMNIMAX theatre, Makoto presented the work of physicists and engineers that created, captured and studied antimatter.
Makoto introduced the mysteries surrounding antimatter in the universe (or lack thereof) as he described Canada’s involvement in the international experiment known as ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser PHysics Apparatus) which studies antimatter. The event was co-sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science (RCI), Science World and TRIUMF.
In February 2014, seven researchers from five institutions in the ALPHA-Canada team won the 2013 NSERC John C. Polanyi Award. They were awarded for their part in capturing the antimatter counterpart of the hydrogen atom, antihydrogen, in a magnetic bottle and developing techniques to measure its properties. The ALPHA-Canada team makes up a third of the global ALPHA team although the project is housed at CERN in Switzerland.
Makoto addressed the misconceptions of antimatter, namely, that it can be used to power spaceships or to blow up a city. He brought the audience away from science fiction’s spectacular claims to show that antimatter is science worth studying. Antimatter could help explain the origins of the universe.
It is theorized that at the Big Bang there were equal amounts of antimatter and matter. However, today there is virtually no antimatter in the universe. If there were equal amounts at the beginning of time then matter and antimatter should have annihilated each other into energy as a form of light, as they cannot touch without destroying each other and producing energy. Thus, as far as we know today, matter—being people, planets and everything in existence—should not exist. But it does and physicists are working to find out why.
Makoto also described the rapid evolution of the ALPHA experiment. The collaboration definitively created the antihydrogen atom and became determined to capture it. In 2010, they successfully captured antihydrogen and soon after determined its properties. In June 2014, the collaboration revealed that antihydrogen has a neutral charge 0.00000000 (to at least 8 decimal places) –the first time that the charge of an antiatom has been measured to high precision!
After his lecture, Makoto welcomed members of ALPHA-Canada team to answer questions from the audience. The panel included Dr. Mike Hayden (SFU), Dr. Walter Hardy (UBC), Dr. Makoto C. Fujiwara (TRIUMF/Univ. of Calgary), Dr. Art Olin (TRIUMF/UVic), and Dr. Robert Thompson (Univ. of Calgary). Missing from the Canadian collaboration were Dr. David Gill (TRIUMF) and Dr. Scott Menary (York). It should be noted that many undergrads, graduates, postdocs and professional staff worked on ALPHA in invaluable roles.
The creation, capture and measurement of antimatter is only the first tiny step in the study of this mysterious antiworld. Now ALPHA worldwide is prepping ALPHA 2 at CERN where they will continue their experiments to understand what it is, how is works and where it went and maybe answer some of the questions of our origins as they go.
Stay tuned for future lectures by following us on Facebook and Twitter @TRIUMFLab. The Unveiling the Universe lecture series is a joint effort between Science World at TELUS World of Science and TRIUMF since 2012. More information available here.
By Kyla Shauer, Communications Assistant
All photos by Silvester Law.
Top Photo: Dr. Makoto Fujiwara shares on the mysteries and complexities of antimatter.
Second Photo: ALPHA-Canada representatives answer questions after the lecture (from left): Dr. Robert Thompson, Dr. Art Olin, Dr. Mike Hayden, Dr. Walter Hardy and Dr. Makoto Fujiwara.
Third Photo: Dr. Makoto Fujiwara poses withTRIUMF's Jean-Michel Poutissou, RCI's Kirsten Vanstone(left) Science World's Jennifer Ingham (right).
Bottom Photo: The audience listens intently to Makoto's lecture.