3 ms·

I always wondered how they put atoms in magnetic traps, isn't hydrogen 1 positron + 1 antiproton? It should be neutral?

• castratikron 8y ago
  It's electrically neutral, but it still has a magnetic moment.
  • iamgopal 8y ago
    Because electron is moving and proton not ?
    • marcosdumay 8y ago
      Both have a rotational momentum that can add to 0 or h/(2*pi) in some direction. On the later case, the atom can be controlled by magnetic fields.
    • castratikron 8y ago
      The magnetic moment of an atom comes from the orbital motion of the electrons about the nucleus and also the rotational motion of each electron about their axes (called "spin"). In the case of a hydrogen atom there's one electron that contributes to the magnetic moment, which is how you're able to magnetically capture an electrically neutral atom.