World first: antimatter particles transported in Geneva

Antimatter particles are transported in Geneva for the first time worldwide Keystone-SDA

For the first time in the world, antimatter has been transported by road at CERN in Geneva. The test carried out on Tuesday at the nuclear research centre was intended to prove that the antiparticles can be transported safely.

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During the experiment, 100 to 1,000 antiprotons were transported over five kilometres. In view of this “extremely small number” of antiprotons, there is no danger to the environment, CERN told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.

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Antimatter is a kind of mirror version of matter. When they come into contact, they annihilate each other in flashes of light. Researchers have developed a special container to transport them. In this so-called Penning trap, the particles float in a high vacuum at -268°C.

According to CERN, if the trap had failed during transport, the energy released would be around one millionth of a joule – about as much as it takes to press a keyboard key.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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