Scientists Trapped an Antimatter Particle for Months to Study Its Secrets

Key points

• Physicists at Northwestern University have trapped a single antimatter particle for months. The team, led by Gerald Gabrielse, cooled a positron close to absolute zero and controlled its quantum behaviour without touching it.
• The experiment, published in Physical Review Letters, could allow measurements about 30 times more precise than before, according to the American Physical Society. So far, no unexpected differences between positrons and electrons have been found.
• If future measurements reveal a difference in how they respond to magnetic fields, scientists would need to revise some of their laws of matter and antimatter.