Scientists create antimatter qubit for the first time — it will help to understand why there is only ordinary matter around us

A group of scientists from CERN, working as part of the BASE project on matter and antimatter, has created the world’s first antimatter qubit.

It is noted, that the researchers managed to keep the antiproton in a state of smooth oscillation between two different quantum states for about 50 seconds for the first time. These results are expected to significantly improve the accuracy of comparison of matter and antimatter and help explain why matter prevails over antimatter in the Universe.

Antiprotons have the same mass as protons, but they have a negative charge. They are stable particles that exist for a very short time. They behave like tiny rod magnets, lining up in one of two directions depending on the quantum spin.

In physics, mirror image properties of matter and antimatter is called charge-parity-time (CPT) symmetry. CPT-symmetry also states that a particle and its antiparticle must obey the laws of physics in the same way, i.e. they must experience gravity or electromagnetism with the same strength.

Theoretically, after the creation of the Universe, the probability of the formation of antimatter or ordinary particles of matter. It was supposed to be 50/50. But for some reason this did not happen.

Using the method using coherent quantum transition spectroscopy, physicists from the BASE project managed to make one antiproton switch between two spin states. According to the scientists, such precise control of a single nuclear magnetic moment has never been possible before, which is a remarkable achievement in both antimatter research and quantum sensing.

According to the founder and CEO BASE, doctor Stefan Ulmer, the results pave the way for the application of coherent spectroscopy methods to single-matter and antimatter systems in precision experiments. This will help BASE to measure antiproton moments in future experiments with an accuracy improved by 10-100 times.

Quantum spin states are in a fragile equilibrium that is easily disturbed by interaction with the environment in a process called decoherence. Previous measurements were based on incoherent methods, which made them extremely sensitive to environmental interference.

In this experiment, physicists from BASE suppressed magnetic field fluctuations and other sources of interference to enable coherent control of the antiproton spin. Scientists have compared this to rocking a child on a swing, where each push is precisely timed to maintain a smooth rhythm. The swing is a single trapped antiproton oscillating between states with spin «up» and «down», while electromagnetic pulses control its motion with quantum precision.

For more precise control, scientists used Penning traps, which contained antiprotons. Each antiproton was then separately transferred to a second system of multiple traps designed to control and measure the spin states of the antiparticles.

Scientists have suppressed decoherence mechanisms and for the first time in history achieved coherence spectroscopy of the antiproton spin. They managed to maintain this state for 50 seconds.

Antimatter qubits, unlike traditional qubits used in quantum computers, are very promising in verifying fundamental physical laws, such as charge-parity-time (CPT) symmetry, which is the idea that matter and antimatter behave in the same way. In particular, it will help to explore the question of why we live in a universe dominated by ordinary matter, when matter and antimatter should have appeared in equal amounts during the Big Bang.

The BASE team now plans to expand its work with BASE-STEP, a system designed to transport antiprotons into low-noise environments. This can increase the coherence time, potentially up to 500 seconds.

The results of the study are published in the journal Nature

Source: Interesting Engineering