ALPHA Experiment Boosts Antihydrogen Production Eightfold at CERN

The ALPHA collaboration, operating at CERN's Antimatter Factory, announced in November 2025 a significant acceleration in the creation of antihydrogen atoms following the successful implementation of a novel positron cooling technique. This development effectively multiplied the rate of antihydrogen production by a factor of eight, marking a pivotal moment for fundamental physics research.

Scientists within the ALPHA experiment now possess the capacity to generate in excess of 15,000 antihydrogen atoms within a span of hours, a process that previously required several weeks to yield a comparable quantity. This technological advancement shifts the study of antimatter from an exceedingly rare occurrence to a more systematic and accessible experimental domain. The core of this efficiency gain lies in a pioneering sympathetic cooling method applied to positrons, the antimatter counterparts to electrons, utilizing laser-cooled beryllium ions to reach temperatures approaching negative 266 degrees Celsius.

This enhanced supply of antimatter directly fuels advanced research objectives, most notably the testing of fundamental physics principles. The ALPHA collaboration previously reported in 2023 the first direct measurement concerning the gravitational free fall of antihydrogen. The increased production rate, now generating over two million antihydrogen atoms in recent runs, is directly relevant to refining these gravitational measurements and enabling more precise spectroscopic experiments.

Key personnel underscored the magnitude of the achievement. Jeffrey Hangst, the spokesperson for the ALPHA collaboration, noted that these production figures were considered science fiction only a decade ago. Niels Madsen, the deputy spokesperson and leader of the positron-cooling project, characterized the change in experimental responsiveness as a paradigm shift within frontier science. The ability to prepare a usable sample of antihydrogen overnight drastically accelerates the pace at which high-precision spectroscopy experiments can be conducted, addressing the implicit question of whether antimatter behaves identically to conventional matter under gravity.