Observation of the antimatter helium-4 nucleus

High-energy nuclear collisions create an energy density similar to that of the Universe microseconds after the Big Bang1; in both cases, matter and antimatter are formed with comparable abundance. However, the relatively short-lived expansion in nuclear collisions allows antimatter to decouple quickly from matter, and avoid annihilation. Thus, a high-energy accelerator of heavy nuclei provides an efficient means of producing and studying antimatter. The antimatter helium-4 nucleus ( ), also known as the anti-α ( ), consists of two antiprotons and two antineutrons (baryon number B = −4). It has not been observed previously, although the α-particle was identified a century ago by Rutherford and is present in cosmic radiation at the ten per cent level2. Antimatter nuclei with B