COSAM News Articles 2012 June Physics student speaks at annual meeting

Physics student speaks at annual meeting

Published: 06/11/2012

Senior Patrick Donnan was invited to give a talk at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in Orange County, Calif., that was held June 4 - 8. Donnan, who is double majoring in physics and music, gave a presentation during the undergraduate session of the national meeting titled, “Calculations of Hyperfine Antihydrogen Spectroscopy.”

His research faculty mentor is Physics Professor Francis Robicheaux, who co-authored the abstract that was presented for the meeting. Robicheaux is a member of an international team of scientists that made a scientific breakthrough by trapping and holding the anti-matter version of the hydrogen atom. In 2011, the team, known as the Antihydrogen Laser PHysics Apparatus, or ALPHA, reported trapped antihydrogen atoms in the ground state, placing spectroscopic measurements of antihydrogen within experimental reach.

Donnan discussed the research he conducts in Robicheaux’s lab, where they present simulations for hyperfine spectroscopy of antihydrogen contained in a Penning-Malmberg trap. To learn more, visit this link: http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/DAMOP12/Event/173489