Two-stage Rydberg charge exchange in a strong magnetic field

ORAL

Abstract

We have performed calculations of two successive charge transfers from Rydberg states in a strong magnetic field. In the first charge transfer, a positron interacts with a highly excited atom to form positronium. In the second stage, the positronium interacts with a cold antiproton plasma to give anti-hydrogen. For many parameters, our results are in qualitative agreement with previous calculations with no magnetic field. However, we do find that there are important changes which may affect the usefulness of the method for efficient formation of anti-hydrogen that can be trapped. For example, some of the the positronium trajectories directly crossed magnetic field lines, whereas initial guesses would be that these light particles would remain fixed to them. Also, a large portion of the resulting anti-hydrogen was found to be in the high magnetic field seeking geometry, which would attract them to the walls of the trap. This causes them to annihilate and, subsequently, reduces the production rate.

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Authors

  • Michael Wall

  • Student Workshop

    Physics, Stony Brook University, NY 11794-3800 USA, Physics Department, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA, Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA, R. Bo\v{s}kovi\'{c} Institute, Zagreb, Croatia, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India, U. Wisconsin, Argonne National Laboratory, U. Kentucky, Kansas State University, Rice University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee, Vienna University of Technology, University of Tennessee, Vienna University of Technology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL, University of Connecticut, LANL, Auburn University, Voronezh State University, Russia, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rollins College, ATOMKI, Debrecen, GANIL, Caen, Stony Brook University, NY 11794-3800 USA, Hefei National Lab \& Dept of Chemical physics, Univ of Sci \& Tech of China, Dept of Earth \& Environ Sci, Univ of Illinois at Chicago, EFI \& Dept of Geophys. Sci., UofC, Chem Div, ANL, Phys Div, ANL, Phys Div, Argonne National Lab (ANL) \& Enrico Fermi Institute (EFI), Univ of Chicago (UofC), Department of Physics, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, SNL, Univ. Paris Sud, Orsay

  • Francis Robicheaux

    Auburn University, Department of Physics, Auburn University