Scientists now believe that antimatter and ordinary matter have equivalent properties, verified to high precision in numerous experiments. However, new theoretical work by Kostelecky and his group shows that tiny but significant differences could exist between the spectra of the hydrogen atom and its twin, the anti-hydrogen atom.
Current theories require that the spectra be identical.
The group's report, co-authored with Kostelecky by Robert Bluhm of Colby College and IU graduate student Neil Russell, is scheduled for publication in the March 15 issue of the physics journal Physical Review Letters . It points out particular portions of the spectrum of anti-hydrogen where tiny deviations from the ordinary hydrogen spectrum might be found. Their work follows about 10 years of efforts to produce a viable theory to describe possible differences between the properties of matter and antimatter. The new theory identifies effects that could be detectable in various experiments. If all three of these changes could be made, scientists currently believe the resulting laws of physics would be the same as they are now, which implies complete symmetry between the properties of matter and antimatter.