Abstract
We propose a method by which one could use modified antimatter gravity experiments in order to perform a high-precision test of antimatter charge neutrality. The proposal is based on the application of a strong, external, vertically oriented electric field during an antimatter free-fall gravity experiment in the gravitational field of the Earth. The proposed experimental setup has the potential to drastically improve the limits on the charge-asymmetry parameter ɛq of antimatter. On the theoretical side, we analyze possibilities to describe a putative charge-asymmetry of matter and antimatter, proportional to the parameters ɛq and ɛq, by Lagrangian methods. We found that such an asymmetry could be described by four-dimensional Lorentz-invariant operators that break CPT without destroying the locality of the field theory. The mechanism involves an interaction Lagrangian with field operators decomposed into particle or antiparticle field contributions. Our Lagrangian is otherwise Lorentz, as well as PT invariant. Constraints to be derived on the parameter ɛq do not depend on the assumed theoretical model.
Recommended Citation
U. D. Jentschura, "Antimatter Free-Fall Experiments and Charge Asymmetry," Symmetry, vol. 13, no. 7, article no. 1192, MDPI, Jul 2021.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13071192
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Gauge Bosons; Gauge Field Theories; Symmetry and Conservation Laws
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2073-8994
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2021 The Author, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Jul 2021
Comments
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (Grants PHY–1710856 and PHY–2110294).