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Abstract

Like the hydrogen atom, the antihydrogen atom holds great promise as a testbed for fundamental physical theories. The HAICU experiment explores new quantum techniques to probe and manipulate atomic hydrogen, with the aim of extending these techniques to antihydrogen. A new design of Ioffe-Pritchard trap, using Bitter electromagnets to generate field, will be used to confine neutral atoms in HAICU. In this thesis we document the development of this trap, focusing on the central ‘mirror coil’ stack that confines atoms axially. Custom hardware developed for peripheral measurements on the magnets, and experimental methods used in magnet research and development, are also presented.