The design and testing of a neutral antihydrogen trap

CPT conservation can be tested by comparing the 1S-2S electronic transition of hydrogen and anti-hydrogen. These transitions can only be accurately measured when the (anti)-atoms are trapped. In order to confine neutral anti-hydrogen, a multipole magnetic field is added to a conventional Malmberg-Penning trap. Previous measurements have shown that a quadrupolar field has a detrimental effect on the positron and antiproton plasmas needed to produce the anti-hydrogen. Therefore, we chose to use an octupolar field in combination with two mirror coils for trapping the neutral atoms. Using a 0.9:1 Cu/Superconductor cable and a technique developed by Brookhaven National Lab we have been able to design a trap with a well depth of about 1 T. We will report on a technical test of the quench properties of the cable and the magnet using a smaller version of the final trap. A study of the mirror field as a possible switch for dumping the anti-hydrogen out of the trap will be presented. Subsequently we will show the design for the final antihydrogen trap.