Degenerate classical minima and instantons

Instantons play an important role in the following situation: quantum theories corresponding to classical actions that have non-continuously connected degenerate minima. The simplest examples are provided by one-dimensional quantum systems with symmetries and potentials with non-symmetric minima. Classically, the states of minimum energy correspond to a particle sitting at any of the minima of the potential. The position of the particle breaks (spontaneously) the symmetry of the system. By contrast, in quantum mechanics (QM), the modulus of the ground-state wave function is large near all the minima of the potential, as a consequence of barrier penetration effects. Two typical examples illustrate this phenomenon: the double-well potential, and the cosine potential, whose periodic structure is closer to field theory examples. In the context of stochastic dynamics, instantons are related to Arrhenius law. The proof of the existence of instantons relies on an inequality related to supersymmetric structures, and which generalizes to some field theory examples. Again, the presence of instantons again indicates that the classical minima are connected by quantum tunnelling, and that the symmetry between them is not spontaneously broken. Examples of such a situation are provided, in two dimensions, by the charge conjugation parity (CP) (N − 1) models and, in four dimensions, by SU(2) gauge theories.

The Standard Model (SM) of fundamental interactions

The Standard Model (SM) 2020 of weak, electromagnetic and strong interactions, based on gauge symmetry and spontaneous symmetry breaking, describes all known fundamental interactions at the microscopic scale except gravity and, perhaps, interactions with dark matter. The SM model has been tested systematically in collider experiments, and in the case of strong interactions (quantum chromodynamics) also with numerical simulations. With the discovery in 2012 of the Higgs particle at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), all particles of the SM have been identified, and most parameters have been measured. Still, the Higgs particle remains the most mysterious particle of the SM, since it is responsible for all the parameters of the SM except gauge couplings and since it leads to the fine-tuning problem. The discovery of its origin, and the precise study of its properties should be, in the future, one of the most important field of research in particle physics. Since we know now that the neutrinos have masses, the simplest extension of the SM implies Dirac neutrinos. With such a minimal modification, consistent so far (2020) with experimental data, the lepton and quark sectors have analogous structures: the lepton sector involves a mixing matrix, like the quark sector (three angles have been determined, the fourth charge conjugation parity (CP) violating angle is still unknown).

Measurement of the principal quantum number distribution in a beam of antihydrogen atoms

The ASACUSA (Atomic Spectroscopy And Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons) collaboration plans to measure the ground-state hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen in a beam at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator with initial relative precision of $$10^{-6}$$ 10 - 6 or better, to test the fundamental CPT (combination of charge conjugation, parity transformation and time reversal) symmetry between matter and antimatter. This challenging goal requires a polarised antihydrogen beam with a sufficient number of antihydrogen atoms in the ground state. The first measurement of the quantum state distribution of antihydrogen atoms in a low magnetic field environment of a few mT is described. Furthermore, the data-driven machine learning analysis to identify antihydrogen events is discussed. Graphic Abstract

Antimatter Gravity: Second Quantization and Lagrangian Formalism

The application of the CPT (charge-conjugation, parity, and time reversal) theorem to an apple falling on Earth leads to the description of an anti-apple falling on anti–Earth (not on Earth). On the microscopic level, the Dirac equation in curved space-time simultaneously describes spin-1/2 particles and their antiparticles coupled to the same curved space-time metric (e.g., the metric describing the gravitational field of the Earth). On the macroscopic level, the electromagnetically and gravitationally coupled Dirac equation therefore describes apples and anti-apples, falling on Earth, simultaneously. A particle-to-antiparticle transformation of the gravitationally coupled Dirac equation therefore yields information on the behavior of “anti-apples on Earth”. However, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the operation of charge conjugation is much more complicated in curved, as opposed to flat, space-time. Our treatment is based on second-quantized field operators and uses the Lagrangian formalism. As an additional helpful result, prerequisite to our calculations, we establish the general form of the Dirac adjoint in curved space-time. On the basis of a theorem, we refute the existence of tiny, but potentially important, particle-antiparticle symmetry breaking terms in which possible existence has been investigated in the literature. Consequences for antimatter gravity experiments are discussed.

Particle physics violating crypto-nonlocal realism

It has been well established that quantum mechanics (QM) violates Bell inequalities (BI), which are consequences of local realism (LR). Remarkably QM also violates Leggett inequalities (LI), which are consequences of a class of nonlocal realism called crypto-nonlocal realism (CNR). Both LR and CNR assume that measurement outcomes are determined by preexisting objective properties, as well as hidden variables (HV) not considered in QM. We extend CNR and LI to include the case that the measurement settings are not externally fixed, but determined by HV. We derive a new version of LI, which is then shown to be violated by entangled $$B_d$$ B d mesons, if charge–conjugation–parity (CP) symmetry is indirectly violated, as indeed established. The experimental result is quantitatively estimated by using the indirect CP violation parameters, and the maximum of a suitably defined relative violation is about $$2.7\%$$ 2.7 % . Our work implies that particle physics violates CNR. Our LI can also be tested in other systems such as photon polarizations.

Clifford algebras, algebraic spinors, quantum information and applications

We give an algebraic formulation based on Clifford algebras and algebraic spinors for quantum information. In this context, logic gates and concepts such as chirality, charge conjugation, parity and time reversal are introduced and explored in connection with states of qubits. Supersymmetry and M-superalgebra are also analyzed with our formalism. Specifically we use extensively the algebras [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] as well as tensor products of Clifford algebras.

Noether’s Theorem in Non-Local Field Theories

Explicit expressions are constructed for a locally conserved vector current associated with a continuous internal symmetry and for energy-momentum and angular-momentum density tensors associated with the Poincaré group in field theories with higher-order derivatives and in non-local field theories. We consider an example of non-local charged scalar field equations with broken C (charge conjugation) and CPT (charge conjugation, parity, and time reversal) symmetries. For this case, we find simple analytical expressions for the conserved currents.

Recent Developments from ASACUSA on Antihydrogen Detection

The ASACUSA Collaboration at CERNs Antiproton Decelerator aims to measure the ground state hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen with high precision to test the fundamental symmetry of CPT (combination of charge conjugation, parity transformation, and time reversal). For this purpose an antihydrogen detector has been developed. Its task is to count the arriving antihydrogen atoms and therefore distinguish backgroundevents (mainly cosmics) from antiproton annihilations originating from antihydrogen atoms which are produced only in small amounts. A central BGO crystal disk with position sensitive read-out detects the annihilation and a surrounding two-layered hodoscope is used for tracking charged secondaries. The hodoscope has been recently upgraded to allow precise vertex reconstruction. A machine learning analysis based on measured antiproton annihilations and cosmic rays has been developed to identify antihydrogen events.