CERN marks a first: antimatter successfully transported outside the laboratory

A team of researchers at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), based in Geneva, has achieved a world first: the successful transport of antimatter, opening a new stage in the study of fundamental particles, informs DPA. The experiment aimed at the transport of 92 antiprotons, particles extremely difficult to manipulate due to their instability.

Physicist Stefan Ulmer confirmed the success: "Everything went well; the antiprotons are still there.” The antimatter was transported in a special container, monitored in real time by researchers.

• Latest technology: Penning trap

The success of the operation was possible thanks to the use of a portable Penning trap, which: isolates the particles from the external environment; prevents contact with ordinary matter; allows stability to be maintained during transport. The container was developed by the team led by Stefan Ulmer and Christian Smorra.

• Why is antimatter so difficult to study

Researchers describe antimatter as a "mirror image” of ordinary matter. The main challenge is that it annihilates instantly upon contact with matter; it cannot be stored conventionally; it requires extreme isolation conditions. These limitations have meant that the study of antimatter has so far been restricted almost exclusively to specialized laboratories.

• A new era for fundamental research

According to Stefan Ulmer, the success marks: "the beginning of a new era for high-precision measurements.” In the coming years, antiprotons could be transported to laboratories in Dusseldorf, Hanover and Heidelberg, where more precise experiments than those possible at CERN will be carried out. The research could help solve one of the greatest enigmas of physics: the imbalance between matter and antimatter. According to the Big Bang theory: The universe should have contained equal amounts of matter and antimatter; currently, matter dominates almost completely. The explanation for this discrepancy remains unknown, and new experiments could provide crucial answers.