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Anderson EK, Baker CJ, Bertsche W, Bhatt NM, Bonomi G, Capra A, Carli I, Cesar CL, Charlton M, Christensen A, Collister R, Cridland Mathad A, Duque Quiceno D, Eriksson S, Evans A, Evetts N, Fabbri S, Fajans J, Ferwerda A, Friesen T, Fujiwara MC, Gill DR, Golino LM, Gomes Gonçalves MB, Grandemange P, Granum P, Hangst JS, Hayden ME, Hodgkinson D, Hunter ED, Isaac CA, Jimenez AJU, Johnson MA, Jones JM, Jones SA, Jonsell S, Khramov A, Madsen N, Martin L, Massacret N, Maxwell D, McKenna JTK, Menary S, Momose T, Mostamand M, Mullan PS, Nauta J, Olchanski K, Oliveira AN, Peszka J, Powell A, Rasmussen CØ, Robicheaux F, Sacramento RL, Sameed M, Sarid E, Schoonwater J, Silveira DM, Singh J, Smith G, So C, Stracka S, Stutter G, Tharp TD, Thompson KA, Thompson RI, Thorpe-Woods E, Torkzaban C, Urioni M, Woosaree P, Wurtele JS. Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter. Nature 2023; 621:716-722. [PMID: 37758891 PMCID: PMC10533407 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06527-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Einstein's general theory of relativity from 19151 remains the most successful description of gravitation. From the 1919 solar eclipse2 to the observation of gravitational waves3, the theory has passed many crucial experimental tests. However, the evolving concepts of dark matter and dark energy illustrate that there is much to be learned about the gravitating content of the universe. Singularities in the general theory of relativity and the lack of a quantum theory of gravity suggest that our picture is incomplete. It is thus prudent to explore gravity in exotic physical systems. Antimatter was unknown to Einstein in 1915. Dirac's theory4 appeared in 1928; the positron was observed5 in 1932. There has since been much speculation about gravity and antimatter. The theoretical consensus is that any laboratory mass must be attracted6 by the Earth, although some authors have considered the cosmological consequences if antimatter should be repelled by matter7-10. In the general theory of relativity, the weak equivalence principle (WEP) requires that all masses react identically to gravity, independent of their internal structure. Here we show that antihydrogen atoms, released from magnetic confinement in the ALPHA-g apparatus, behave in a way consistent with gravitational attraction to the Earth. Repulsive 'antigravity' is ruled out in this case. This experiment paves the way for precision studies of the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration between anti-atoms and the Earth to test the WEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- E K Anderson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C J Baker
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - W Bertsche
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK.
| | - N M Bhatt
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - G Bonomi
- University of Brescia, Brescia and INFN Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - A Capra
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - I Carli
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C L Cesar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Charlton
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Christensen
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - R Collister
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - A Cridland Mathad
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D Duque Quiceno
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - S Eriksson
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Evans
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - N Evetts
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - S Fabbri
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Accelerator and Technology Sector, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - J Fajans
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - A Ferwerda
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - T Friesen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - D R Gill
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - L M Golino
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - M B Gomes Gonçalves
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | | | - P Granum
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - J S Hangst
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - M E Hayden
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - D Hodgkinson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - E D Hunter
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - C A Isaac
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | | | - M A Johnson
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Warrington, UK
| | - J M Jones
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - S A Jones
- Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - S Jonsell
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Khramov
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - N Madsen
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - L Martin
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - D Maxwell
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - J T K McKenna
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - S Menary
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - T Momose
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - M Mostamand
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - P S Mullan
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - J Nauta
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | | | - A N Oliveira
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - J Peszka
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - A Powell
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - C Ø Rasmussen
- Experimental Physics Department, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - F Robicheaux
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - R L Sacramento
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Sameed
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Accelerator Systems Department, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - E Sarid
- Soreq NRC, Yavne, Israel
- Department of Physics, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - J Schoonwater
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D M Silveira
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J Singh
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - G Smith
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C So
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - G Stutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - T D Tharp
- Physics Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - K A Thompson
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - R I Thompson
- TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - E Thorpe-Woods
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - C Torkzaban
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - M Urioni
- University of Brescia, Brescia and INFN Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - P Woosaree
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - J S Wurtele
- Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Rodríguez-Villamil P, Hoyos-Marulanda V, Martins JAM, Oliveira AN, Aguiar LH, Moreno FB, Velho ALMCS, Monteiro-Moreira AC, Moreira RA, Vasconcelos IM, Bertolini M, Moura AA. Purification of binder of sperm protein 1 (BSP1) and its effects on bovine in vitro embryo development after fertilization with ejaculated and epididymal sperm. Theriogenology 2015; 85:540-54. [PMID: 26553567 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.09.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Revised: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The present study evaluated functional aspects of binder of sperm 1 (BSP1) in the bovine species. In a first experiment, cumulus-oocyte complexes (n = 1274) were incubated with frozen-thawed ejaculated sperm (18 hours) in Fert-TALP medium containing: heparin, 10, 20, or 40 μg/mL BSP1. Heparin followed by gelatin affinity chromatography was used for purification of BSP1 from bovine seminal vesicle fluid. With ejaculated sperm, cleavage rates were similar when Fert-TALP medium was incubated with heparin (74.1 ± 2.7%), 10 μg/mL BSP1 (77.8 ± 3.1%), or 20 μg/mL BSP1 (74 ± 2.0%). Day-7 blastocyst rates were equivalent after incubations with heparin (40.8 ± 5.0%) and 10 μg/mL BSP1 (34.1 ± 4.4%), but reduced after 20 μg/mL BSP1 (22.4 ± 2.9%) and 40 μg/mL BSP1 (19.3 ± 4.1%; P < 0.05). In the second experiment, cumulus-oocyte complexes (n = 1213) were incubated with frozen-thawed cauda epididymal sperm (18 hours) in Fert-TALP medium containing: no heparin, heparin, 10, 20, or 40 μg/mL. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were similar after treatments with heparin (68.5 ± 1.3% and 24.7 ± 3.2%, respectively) or without heparin (65.5 ± 1.8% and 27.3 ± 1.6%, respectively). Cleavage was higher after treatment with any BSP1 concentrations (74.2 ± 2.7%-79.0 ± 1.1%) than without heparin (P < 0.05). Also, cleavage was better after Fert-TALP medium incubation with 40 μg/mL BSP1 (79.0 ± 1.1%) than with heparin (68.5 ± 1.3%; P < 0.05). Embryo development was higher (P < 0.05) after treatment with 20 μg/mL BSP1 (35.6 ± 2.5%) and 40 μg/mL (41.1 ± 2%) than after incubations with heparin (24.7 ± 3.2%) or without heparin (27.3 ± 1.6%). Interestingly, BSP1 did not cause reductions in blastocyst rates after fertilization with epididymal sperm, as observed with ejaculated sperm. On the basis of immunocytochemistry, there was BSP1 binding to frozen-thawed ejaculated but not to epididymal sperm. Also, anti-BSP1 reaction remained on ejaculated sperm (as expected) and appeared on epididymal sperm after incubation with purified BSP1. Acrosome reaction of ejaculated and epididymal sperm was induced after incubation with purified BSP1 as well, indicating an effect of BSP1 on capacitation. In conclusion, purified BSP1 from bull seminal vesicles was able to bind to and induce capacitation of ejaculated and epididymal sperm. Also, BSP1 added to fertilization media and allowed proper cleavage and embryo development, with the effects being modulated by previous exposure or not of spermatozoa to seminal plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Rodríguez-Villamil
- Animal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - V Hoyos-Marulanda
- Animal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - J A M Martins
- Animal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - A N Oliveira
- Animal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - L H Aguiar
- Molecular and Developmental Biology Laboratory, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - F B Moreno
- School of Pharmacy, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - A L M C S Velho
- Animal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | | | - R A Moreira
- School of Pharmacy, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - I M Vasconcelos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - M Bertolini
- Molecular and Developmental Biology Laboratory, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - A A Moura
- Animal Physiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Brazil.
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