Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Precise measurement of the energies of the orbits of helium atoms allow us to obtain precise information about the electromagnetic forces between the electrons and the nucleus and obtain a precise determination of the fine-structure constant, the fundamental constant that determines the strength of electromagnetic interactions. Secondly, in collaboration with groups at Harvard and in Germany, we (the ATRAP collaboration) are producing cold antihydrogen atoms, the simplest atom that can be formed out of antimatter. Our intention is to trap these atoms in a magnetic trap and to do careful studies that compare their properties to those of ordinary matter.