Gravitational quantum states of Antihydrogen
- P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, 53 Leninsky Prospect, 117924 Moscow (Russian Federation)
- Department of Quantum Chemistry, Uppsala University, Box 518, SE-75120 Uppsala (Sweden)
- Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), 6 rue Jules Horowitz, F-38042 Grenoble (France)
We present a theoretical study of the motion of the antihydrogen atom (H) in the gravitational field of Earth above a material surface. We predict that the H atom, falling in the gravitational field of Earth above a material surface, would settle into long-lived quantum states. We point out a method of measuring the difference in the energy of H in such states. The method allows for spectroscopy of gravitational levels based on atom-interferometric principles. We analyze the general feasibility of performing experiments of this kind. We point out that such experiments provide a method of measuring the gravitational force (Mg) acting on H and that they might be of interest in the context of testing the weak equivalence principle for antimatter.
- OSTI ID:
- 21541305
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 83, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.83.032903; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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