Overview
- BASE scientists, who on Tuesday transported 92 antiprotons around CERN by truck, monitored the trap in real time and confirmed the particles returned intact.
- The cargo sat in a portable cryogenic Penning trap that uses superconducting magnets, electric fields, and ultra‑high vacuum to keep antiparticles suspended away from matter.
- The loop spanned roughly 8–10 kilometers and took about 20–30 minutes, and the team watched the trap’s signal during the drive to verify the antiprotons stayed put.
- Researchers plan to deliver samples to Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf to escape magnetic noise at CERN, which they say could sharpen antimatter tests by 100 to 1,000 times.
- Longer hauls will require holding the magnet below 8.2 K for about eight hours and refining safe handover, so the team is exploring on‑board cryocoolers and power as well as noting the tiny sample size poses no public hazard.