Revolutionary Sensor Technology Achieves Sub-Micron Precision in Antimatter Detection

Revolutionary Sensor Technology Achieves Sub-Micron Precision in Antimatter Detection

The detector was designed and built by Dr. Francesco Guatieri, Michael Berghold and Markus Münster (from left) at TUM’s FRM II.

(IN BRIEF) A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), working with CERN’s AEgIS collaboration, has developed an innovative detector using repurposed smartphone camera sensors to track antiproton annihilations in real time with a resolution of about 0.6 micrometres—a 35-fold enhancement over previous methods. Named the Optical Photon and Antimatter Imager (OPHANIM), this detector combines 60 mobile phone sensors to achieve 3840 megapixels, offering photographic plate-level resolution with real-time diagnostics and self-calibration. This advancement is crucial for experiments that aim to measure the free-fall of antihydrogen under Earth’s gravity by accurately tracking annihilation events. The project required significant micro-engineering to modify the sensors and involved contributions from TUM researchers including Francesco Guatieri, Michael Berghold, and Markus Münster. The breakthrough promises broader applications in high-resolution tracking and the study of low-energy antiparticle annihilation, marking a significant step forward in antimatter research.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 3-Apr-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — At CERN, researchers from the AEgIS collaboration, led by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), have innovatively repurposed smartphone camera sensors to develop a detector that tracks antiproton annihilations in real time with an unparalleled resolution. Described in a recent Science Advances paper, this novel detector can pinpoint the locations of antiproton annihilations with an accuracy of approximately 0.6 micrometres—an improvement of 35 times compared to previous real-time detection methods.

The project, which leverages 60 photo sensors originally used in mobile phones, has given rise to the Optical Photon and Antimatter Imager (OPHANIM). This device, with a record-setting 3840 megapixels, integrates advanced image sensor technology to achieve photographic plate-level resolution combined with real-time diagnostics and self-calibration capabilities. Previously, photographic plates were the only method available for such measurements, but they did not allow for immediate data analysis. The innovative approach is not only applicable to antiprotons but is also directly translatable to antihydrogen experiments.

Within CERN’s Antimatter Factory, experiments such as AEgIS, ALPHA, and GBAR are striving to measure the free-fall of antihydrogen under Earth’s gravity with high precision. AEgIS, in particular, creates a horizontal antihydrogen beam and uses a moiré deflectometer to detect minute vertical displacements, relying on the detector to record the exact points of antihydrogen annihilation. Francesco Guatieri from TUM’s FRM II, who is the principal investigator on the project, explains that by utilizing camera sensors with sub-micrometre pixel sizes, the team has achieved the necessary spatial resolution to observe tiny shifts caused by gravity.

The project also showcased significant micro-engineering challenges, as the team had to remove the initial layers of the sensors designed for mobile phone electronics. Master’s students Michael Berghold and Markus Münster from TUM’s School of Engineering and Design were integral to overcoming these technical hurdles. According to AEgIS spokesperson Dr. Ruggero Caravita, this breakthrough technology not only revolutionizes the observation of gravitational effects on antihydrogen beams but also holds promise for a wide range of applications requiring extremely high positional accuracy, including the development of high-resolution particle trackers and the study of low-energy antiparticle annihilation in various materials.

Media Contacts:

Corporate Communications Center
Ulrich Meyer
presse@tum.de

Contacts to this article:

Dr. Francesco Guatieri
Group of Prof. Christoph Hugenschmidt at FRM II
Technical University of Munich
Francesco.Guatieri@frm2.tum.de
https://www.frm2.tum.de/en/frm2/home/

SOURCE: Technical University of Munich