27 Nov 2025

Antimatter Hunt Advances with UH Mānoa Work at CERN

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy have wrapped up a six-week campaign at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire or European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland, to study how rare antimatter particles (particles with opposite charge to ordinary matter) are created. Understanding these particles helps us learn how the universe was formed and why it behaves the way it does today.

four people standing in a large factory
From left, Philip von Doetinchem, Michael Bell, Bobby Lyon and Anirvan Shukla

The team used the NA61/SHINE experiment, a fixed-target experiment at one of CERN’s particle accelerators, to produce antinuclei under conditions similar to those found in space. The new data recorded on the ground will help scientists better understand unusual signals recorded by instruments orbiting Earth.

The work is part of a project funded in 2024 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The group expects the data analysis to take several years.

“This work demonstrates that our team in Hawaiʻi is at the forefront of understanding cosmic antimatter by using one of the world’s most advanced science facilities, also providing an amazing opportunity for the next generation of researchers to engage in international research,” Professor Philip von Doetinchem said. “Without the hard work of postdoc Anirvan Shukla and graduate students Bobby Lyon and Michael Bell, we could not have executed the campaign. Great thanks also go to our international collaborators at CERN—without them the data taking would not have been possible. What we learn from these measurements will help us better understand our Galaxy and what it is composed of.”

person doing work at a computer

This effort builds on more than a decade of UH Mānoa research focused on hunting for antimatter in space. In 2024, the project received a $600,000 NSF grant to analyze data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the International Space Station. That instrument has detected possible signs of rare antinuclei that may come from dark matter or other unknown processes in the galaxy.

By creating these particles on the ground and comparing them with signals from space, UH scientists aim to narrow down where the antimatter is coming from and what it can reveal about the structure of the universe.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is housed in the UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences.

four people sitting in a room
From left, Michael Bell, Philip von Doetinchem, Bobby Lyon and Anirvan Shukla

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