Antimatter

Antiparticles are a crucial ingredient of particle physics and cosmology. More than 70 years after Dirac's bold prediction and the subsequent discovery of the positron in 1932, antiparticles are still in the spotlight of modern physics. This lecture for non-specialists will start with a theoretical and historical introduction. Why are antiparticles needed? Why is the (CPT) symmetry between particles and antiparticles so fundamental? What is their role in cosmology? The second part will give an overview about the many aspects of antiparticles in experimental physics: as a tool in accelerators; as a probe inside atoms or nuclei; or as an object to study fundamental symmetries. In the third part, the lecture will focus on the experimental 'antimatter' programme at the Antiproton Decelerator (AD), with special emphysis on antihydrogen production and spectroscopy. The lecture will conclude with an outlook on present and potential future applications of antiparticles in science and our daily life.