Transcript for CERN Scientist Talks New Antimatter Findings

Hey everybody what sob on the in the not here live in New York without any star track fans out there side by aficionados. You're gonna wanna stay with that this is something very cool were about to show you. Scientists in Switzerland have come one step closer. To answering one of the greatest riddles in our universe were about to find out more about that have to do with something called anti matter. And if I didn't make any sense to you hang with us we're gonna work through it joining us live from the cern lab. In Switzerland is professor Jeffrey Hanks who has been working on something called the outs but experiment it can explain to us and a little bit more detail. What this all means doctor Hanks thank you so much for making the time today. My pleasure. So let's just start right at the very beginning for anyone could have been understand. What is anti matter tell us a little bit about the experiment you've been working on. And how significant this latest break through it. A case that's a matter we like to think of this equal but opposite than normal mother. For all of the particles that make up the atoms and molecules. In our every day. We found that there is an equal and opposite particles so Adams or protons neutrons electrons. We can also make anti protons anti Newt bonds anti electrons. And in fact as far as the current theory is concerned we think we could build an anti universe. Of these things that we had them. So. For me anti matters just a different type of mater. And why it's so interesting is that. Its absence. The idea today what about the big dying is that it's beginning there should have been equal amounts of matter and anti matter. Both are equally viable. They can't coexist. They annihilate each other producing a lot of energy. And that's why the science fiction. Has latched on to these things it's the ultimate energy source if you had some. So. What we don't know is why the universe is made of matter instead of anti matter. And to me it seems like a pretty good idea that if you can get your hands on some anti matter you should study it and that's the purpose of the alpha experiment. We want to simply see if matter and anti matter Obey the same laws that. And the way we do that here is by studying the most basic elements. Hydrogen. Is an element number one on the periodic table it's the most abundant element in the dental universe. We make anti hydrogen hear it alpha and we're trying to study anti hydrogen. To see if it's the same as Heidi. Very simple elegance question. So walk me through this now I keep saying anti matter it's absent you have to basically create the thing that you want to study. And I don't think this experiment has been decades in the making why does it take so long. Just to get through very incremental steps in this experiment can explain not a bit to us. But they weren't when we started there was no act of hydrogen no one had ever made it. We've we've been dealing with anti particles but to put them together to make an item turned out to be quite a big technological challenge. She that the challenge without the matter is that he can't be around any normal matter. If it touches any normal matter it Meehan the annihilate since gone. So you have to take great pains first to produce it and then slow it down hold onto its manipulated into an item. Hold on to it again. And then. As we've done in this case shine some light on its. So every step of the way is it something no one's ever done before we have to we have to develop. And takes many many years obviously to do that. I mean at you're standing there in the middle of that haven't been asking to show us a little bit of whenever you can to help explain how do you do this work. But I would pick up on one thing you mentioned which was the adding of the light. To the anti hydrogen. Explain to me why that is so significant because that's what led choose your latest breakthrough is that right. That's exactly right if you if you want to study matter very carefully. One of the best ways is to be used lasers. We understand the hydrogen at a really very well we've been studying for more than 200 years. So we understand the spectrum. The lights that hydrogen likes to absorb and emit we understand very well both in theory and in experiment. You can make extremely precise measurements with lasers. So if you're looking for just a small difference between matter and anti matter that's an excellent way to to go and try. And now this is what we've done what. As you say it was many decades in the making actually get anti hydrogen to respond to laser lights. That's what we published in nature this week. And that's why we're getting all this attention it was Canada the holy Grail of this type of visits to get. To where we can start to make these incredibly precise measurements that opened her matter. Well congratulations to you and your colleagues on that breakthrough maybe you can give us. A little bit of a tour if you don't mind because they see an impressive array of machinery and wires behind GOP help understand a little bit about how exactly you do the work that you're doing there in that facility. Against prominent turn the camera around. And we can look. Let's start understanding on this level above the machine. And Nam poignant a camera down on the beam line. That comes from discerned machine that provides us with anti protons. It's called the anti proton decelerate or. So it's the facility it's the reason we're here concerned it's any place in the world. What we can get these low energy anti protons. Which form the nucleus of the anti there's. So we're looking straight. Down below on this kind of a green looking cylindrical thing that's so we actually stopped the anti protons that come from concern anti proton this. So we can catch them there and hold them in a kind of an electromagnetic bottle to keep them away from all mater as read. High vacuum situation in. To keep. Interaction with any matter to announce the minimum. Bank episode. Moving further down we we shoot we shoot them into. A device which is sitting under this platform and we can walk down there in a minute take look at it. That's where we put together. The anti protons and the anti electrons which are also called positive fronts to form anti Haider. So they get good at the Harding gets formed inside that machine and it also gets trapped. We use it's very strong magnetic fields to hold on to the anti hydrogen atoms so that we can keep them long enough that shined the laser light. Would you like to take a walk down there and see it. Oh we'd love to see that yes. We're passing some of the electronics some of the power supplies. Alpha is miles and miles of cables like any experiment that this level. On the way down we're gonna pass the the alpha door with. Sig signatures a visiting dignitaries we have Graham Nash and David Crosby. The rock stars and all of muse. Loss of his we know a lot of people. We're interested in our work and then combined entity apple app that that's a Hank. Curiosity that's something I brought me here. And how long have you been at the lab to. And citizen. How much a professor in Denmark burdens. A I've lived in Geneva since 2001. To work on this cool. And what's the teen like I mean is it out its international team how many people are there. Yes it really international team were about fifty people. Who with a lot of time into this. Thirteen or fourteen different institutes. All over the world. From Israel Brazil you. Sweden Denmark before. We have. Lots of partners but were small for a cern experiment a Big Sur experiment has many thousands. Of physicists. We're we're fifty we're not. I'm in the mainstream. Of physics that's that's. I. Got Chad we should take now we're looking at the moment to point out there and it actually that the French Akron him. For what is the European Organization for Nuclear Research I think they'll see that earliest Disco. Everyone knows at home OK so I thanks where are we Allen will be looking. For now we're looking at the central part of the machine where we actually produce. And dropped the anti Haider in. Look at something interesting here. If you calls for a logo yet why did that because I have funding from the car the Carlsberg. I thought a cup. I have funding from the Carlsberg foundation and Denmark which is. A foundation that supports the arts and sciences and in Denmark. So they paid for this this big magnets which. Houses. And so it's in there we've we've put together the the effort profound. Denmark is an incredibly civilized country. Just amazing that. A big corporation like that. Supports people like me. That that it can't happen inside that thing we can see too much and bill. The giant magnet is an inside are even more magnets. To actually hold on to via others once it's made it you know care that's are really a black box. In the black boxes covering. The place where the laser goes into the machine. So we truck the anti hydrogen atoms and Aaron and we shined the laser. And we keep them there for like ten minutes. While we're trying to do this firm who actually hold onto it for a long time. While we're trying to get it in. And around the thing is really on two stories. Lot of equipment above. Below. This big thing holds liquid helium. We use a lot of liquid heeded the whole machine is cooled down to four degrees above 20. All the time when it. Decided Jeanne is where the part of fronts come from. Everything we're seeing there this is all dedicated towards this one half aren't. Of producing and studying anti matter all of that. Yeah exactly all of it. Everything here is about. Still explained to let what what. You actually studying when even in this case when your shining a laser in there and and adding energy in the form of light how do you then study what the results argued city the intensity of the lie either what's the what's the manifestation. Of that experiment. I think for this occurrence quite simple if the it's if you hit them with the red the red light from the right color of life right frequency. Then they get lost from the trial. This kind of technical why that happens but what we're looking for is the disappearance. Of these. We have a very sensitive detector when an anti matter hits matter it and violates. And releases energy and other energy. It's something we're pretty good it detective who threw. We can actually. He checked single Adam that's about it when they get off. Potential we're doing is we're counting. How many have been. Knocked out of the trop but they and that only happens if the laser frequency is correct. And what we want to do is. Compare that frequency of the color of the laser with hydrogen to see if there. Got very elegant very simple to understand. Extremely fundamental. May be simple fact for some people to understand not every month so why don't that what else can we see in the lab will keep it could be interesting for folks who whack. In today to take a look at get behind the scenes look back. We just walk around a bit. Again this is. In the big closer to the guts of it. Thank god that Baghdad is off for much. We can see. Here is we see a concrete wall with this line coming through these are the magnets that. Bringing the anti proton from the aid be directed to them fees for the experiment starts here. The junction between. The dean line from them machine. There's a close up. Will be called the catching Trout the green is a superconducting magnet there's that trapped inside that touches the anti protons. We can walk over and take a look at the puzzle front and so the deposit funds come from radioactive source. Of sodium 42 it's just sitting there all the time in meeting bronze. And we move them into another. Trapped its political deposits from acumen that are we can just sit there and and puts them on the front that we have enough to do you sperm. That it incredible and again he would above. Yeah. At professor thank maybe you can turn the camera back for a permanent broker yep. Yep we can be just fine let's let's turn the camera around so we can see them again we know who we're talking to here I'm curious just ask you. Because the only time I had ever heard about anti matter. Had been in reference to start track right it was like it was the stuff that fueled the enterprise sits up. How did you get into this field in the first place but. That's where I heard about it to get its act if I have mounted. And I was imagine my surprise to learn that it's it's a real thing. And far for being here a huge energy source weapon it's actually just rather tedious to work with the it's it's it's really hard. That keep it around them and make it. You may find it very glamorous to meet this rather going. Well we agree apple that you are you dedicating himself to it. Yes. Professor Geoffrey hang thank you. Live there for us the alpha experiment in Switzerland thank you so much for making the time -- elation stealing your colleagues on your success and best of luck. In all your future work as well. Thank you very much. Thank you very much thank you ferret thanks to all of you for joining us. Check out some future she had to got more coming up later this afternoon. For all of us here for now ABC news thanks for joining us stick around for more books you guys available that.

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