In the realm of energy research, a recent study conducted by Pierre-Yves Duerinck and Rimantas Lazauskas from the University of Lyon sheds light on the behavior of antiproton-nucleus interactions, which could have implications for understanding and potentially harnessing antimatter for energy applications. The researchers are affiliated with the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the University of Lyon, France.
The study focuses on the PUMA experiment at CERN, which investigates antiproton annihilation on atomic nuclei. Specifically, Duerinck and Lazauskas examined the energy shifts and widths of Rydberg states in systems comprising an antiproton and either a tritium nucleus (³H) or a helium-3 nucleus (³He). Rydberg states are atoms in which one electron is in a highly excited state, far from the nucleus, making them highly sensitive to external perturbations.
To understand these interactions, the researchers performed ab initio calculations, which means they started from fundamental physical principles without relying on empirical data. They first determined the scattering lengths and scattering volumes by solving the Faddeev-Yakubovsky equations in configuration space. These equations are used to describe the dynamics of few-body systems, such as the interactions between an antiproton and a nucleus.
Using the Trueman formula, the researchers then calculated the level shifts and widths of the corresponding hydrogen-like states in the antiproton-tritium and antiproton-helium-3 systems. The Trueman formula relates the energy shifts and widths of atomic states to the scattering lengths and volumes. The study revealed a pronounced model dependence associated with the nucleon-antinucleon interaction for certain states, indicating that the choice of interaction model can significantly affect the results.
Finally, the researchers computed annihilation densities from the four-body wavefunctions. Comparison with the nuclear density distributions showed that nucleon-antinucleon annihilation is predominantly peripheral, meaning it occurs primarily at the outer edges of the nucleus rather than at the core.
The practical applications of this research for the energy sector are still in the early stages of exploration. However, understanding antiproton-nucleus interactions could potentially lead to advancements in antimatter-based energy technologies, such as antimatter-powered propulsion systems or energy generation. The study was published in the journal Physical Review C, a reputable source for research in nuclear physics.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.