Vacuum pressure gauge

Abstract

A vacuum pressure gauge is described herein. One apparatus includes an ion trap configured to trap antimatter therein in a vacuum chamber, and a controller configured to determine a lifetime of the antimatter trapped in the ion trap and determine a pressure in the vacuum chamber based, at least in part, on the determined lifetime of the antimatter.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A vacuum pressure gauge, comprising:
 a controller configured to:
 determine a lifetime of antimatter trapped in a vacuum chamber; and 
 determine a pressure in the vacuum chamber based, at least in part, on the determined lifetime of the antimatter. 
   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 1 , wherein the antimatter is trapped in an ion trap in the vacuum chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is electronically connected to the ion trap via a number of wires 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the vacuum pressure gauge includes an amplifier configured to amplify an electronic signal induced by the antimatter trapped in the vacuum chamber; and   the controller is configured to determine the lifetime of the antimatter based, at least in part, on the amplified electronic signal.   
     
     
         5 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the lifetime of the antimatter based, at least in part, on a frequency bandwidth of the amplified electronic signal. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the vacuum pressure gauge includes a positron source and a tungsten moderator; and   the positron source is configured to load the antimatter into the vacuum chamber through the tungsten moderator.   
     
     
         7 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum pressure gauge includes a vacuum flange configured to seal the vacuum chamber. 
     
     
         8 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 1 , wherein the controller includes:
 a memory; and   a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to determine the lifetime of the antimatter and determine the pressure in the vacuum chamber.   
     
     
         9 . A method of determining pressure in a vacuum chamber, comprising:
 determining, by a controller, an annihilation rate of antimatter trapped in a vacuum chamber; and   determining, by the controller, a pressure in the vacuum chamber based, at least in part, on the determined annihilation rate of the antimatter.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method includes:
 determining a lifetime of the antimatter based on the determined annihilation rate of the antimatter; and   determining the pressure in the vacuum chamber based, at least in part, on the determined lifetime of the antimatter.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method includes determining the annihilation rate of the antimatter by determining a quantity of antimatter ions trapped in the vacuum chamber at two different times. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the determined pressure is less than 10 −12  torr. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the method includes preventing additional antimatter from being loaded into the vacuum chamber while the antimatter is trapped in the vacuum chamber and the annihilation rate of the antimatter is being determined. 
     
     
         14 . A vacuum pressure gauge, comprising:
 a controller configured to:
 determine a lifetime of antimatter trapped in a vacuum chamber; 
 determine a quantity of particles in the vacuum chamber based, at least in part, on the determined lifetime of the antimatter; and 
 determine a pressure in the vacuum chamber based, at least in part, on the determined quantity of particles. 
   
     
     
         15 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the lifetime of the antimatter trapped in the vacuum chamber based on an amount of time before the antimatter trapped in the vacuum chamber is annihilated by particles in the vacuum chamber. 
     
     
         16 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 14 , wherein the vacuum pressure gauge includes a number of electrodes configured to form an accumulation region in the vacuum chamber in which the antimatter is trapped. 
     
     
         17 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the vacuum pressure gauge includes an insulating spacer; and   each respective electrode is separated by a different portion of the insulating spacer.   
     
     
         18 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the vacuum pressure gauge includes a number of signal wires coupled to the controller; and   each respective electrode is coupled to a different one of the number of signal wires.   
     
     
         19 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 18 , wherein the vacuum pressure gauge includes an electronic feedthrough configured to bundle the number of signal wires. 
     
     
         20 . The vacuum pressure gauge of  claim 14 , wherein the controller is outside of the vacuum chamber.