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Through a technical tour de force, the research team, known as the [ALPHA scientists](http://alpha.web.cern.ch/people), created a sophisticated magnetic trap to confine antihydrogen and sequester it from matter. This technique allowed researchers to prevent antihydrogen’s destruction for long enough to study it under controlled circumstances.  \n  \n“This is a huge leap forward for the field,” says [Joel Fajans](http://physics.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/Joel-Fajans), a principal investigator in the [ALPHA collaboration](http://alpha.web.cern.ch/) and [professor of physics](http://physics.berkeley.edu/) at [UC Berkeley](http://www.berkeley.edu/). “People have been trying to study antihydrogen since the 1980s. It wasn’t until now that we achieved the technological breakthroughs necessary to do so.”  \n  \nUsing the trap, researchers measured how antihydrogen absorbs light. The prevailing models indicate that antihydrogen should absorb light exactly like hydrogen, so even a tiny deviation from antihydrogen’s anticipated behavior would challenge the foundations of modern physics.  \n  \nSo far, the researchers have found no discrepancy between antihydrogen’s actual and predicted behaviors. Now that the technology is in place, researchers plan to explore this new field of experimental science further to better investigate fundamental predictions of physics.  \n  \n*Featured image: Hydrogen (above) and anti-hydrogen (below). Designed by Cameron Baker.*  \n  \n-------   \n  \n*Jonathan Liu is a first year graduate student in physics studying the biophysics of fruit fly development. In his free time he sings with the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus and likes to dance West Coast Swing.*","image":null,"authors":[{"id":"6030b07d7782326a48b05855","name":"Jonathan Liu"}],"designers":[],"categories":[{"id":"6030b07d7782326a48b058c0","title":"Labscopes"},{"id":"6030b07d7782326a48b058bf","title":"The Universe"}],"magazine":{"id":"6030b07d7782326a48b058d3","title":"Spring 2017","issue":32}},"recent":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Article_6938eb7ba1914505ee622e1d","title":"From Karlsruhe to California","authors":[{"id":"6938eaf8a1914505ee622e1b","name":"Tom Althaus"}],"categories":[{"id":"6030b07d7782326a48b058c3","title":"The Scientist Life"}],"image":{"publicURL":"/static/b5f70d5b1953e0ccf43dd094a6eda009/b5aca3e4328dc84e914c6ff93f96e63d.png"},"published_at":"2025-12-10T03:39:42.426Z"}},{"node":{"id":"Article_6930dbcfa1914505ee622e16","title":"Investigation without exploitation","authors":[{"id":"645880721e0c2a0a6f3373ae","name":"Elizabeth 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