In a groundbreaking development, scientists at CERN have, for the first time, created a container capable of safely transporting antimatter outside of the laboratory.
This major scientific milestone, achieved earlier this month, marks a turning point in antimatter research and could accelerate efforts to unlock the mysteries of the universe.
The accomplishment is documented in a paper titled Proton transport from the antimatter factory of CERN, published in the journal Nature. The researchers describe the construction of a two-metre-long containment system that was used to transport trapped protons from CERN’s Antimatter Factory (AMF) across a four-kilometre stretch before returning to the lab.
“We transferred the trapped protons from our experimental area at the AMF (antimatter factory) onto a truck and transported them across the Meyrin site of CERN,” the team noted.
Antimatter is notoriously difficult to handle because it annihilates upon contact with ordinary matter—even dust particles—making secure transportation extremely challenging. To overcome this, the scientists designed a container using magnetic traps to isolate the antimatter. These traps require significant energy and highly controlled conditions to function.
“Within our 4-h transport campaign, the persistent superconducting magnet system operated autonomously, based on battery supplies, cryopumping and cooling by a liquid helium (LHe) reservoir,” the researchers detailed in their paper.
This achievement opens the door to transporting antimatter to other research institutions across Europe via standard roadways. One of the first planned destinations is Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany, situated approximately 800 kilometres from CERN.
“We thereby confirm the feasibility of transferring particles into low-noise laboratories in the vicinity of the AMF and of using a power generator on the truck to reach laboratories throughout Europe,” the study stated.
Antimatter is the mirror image of matter. Each matter particle has a corresponding antimatter particle with the same mass but opposite charge. For instance, while protons carry a positive charge, their antimatter counterparts—antiprotons—carry a negative charge.
The extreme difficulty and cost of producing and containing antimatter make it the most expensive substance known to science. In 1999, NASA scientists GR Schmidt, Harold Gerrish, and JJ Martin estimated its cost at around $62.5 trillion, or $1.75 quadrillion per ounce, based on the energy demands and current production capabilities.
With the success of this recent demonstration, the ability to transport antimatter could revolutionise experimental physics, offering new insights into the fundamental forces of the universe.