We report the successful trapping of $6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}$
82Rb (t1/2=75s) atoms with a trap lifetime of $\ensuremath{\sim}30\mathrm{s}$ in a magneto-optical trap that is coupled to an off-line mass separator. Efficient sample introduction is achieved by implanting
82Rb ions into a small yttrium catcher foil located inside the trapping cell. Upon heating, the radioactive atoms are released from the foil and trapped without significant gas loading. This advancement makes a variety of high-precision electroweak interaction experiments possible, including the measurement of \ensuremath{\beta}-decay correlations associated with spin-polarized
82Rb nuclei.
High-accuracy spectroscopic comparisons of trapped antihydrogen atoms (H¯) and hydrogen atoms (H) promise to stringently test the fundamental CPT symmetry invariance of the standard model of particle physics. ATRAP’s nested Penning-Ioffe trap was developed for such studies. The first of its unique features is that its magnetic Ioffe trap for H¯atoms can be switched between quadrupole and octupole symmetries. The second is that it allows laser and microwave access perpendicular to the central axis of the traps.