Could anti matter be created in a lab on Earth? What would be the possible applications?

Question

I know that matter and anti matter cannot coexist without canceling each other out in a violent manner. But are there more stable forms such as antihydrogen that could be created in more than just trace amounts. Could a form of antimatter ever be used as a power source?

I have been reading Angels & Demons. That is what spawned the idea for this question. I have done some research on the internet also, but having little physics background I find the concept hard to fathom.

Answer 1

Antimatter would make a superb rocket fuel because of its high energy density, but it would have to be manufactured first. This would take more energy than it would release. That make it an energy carrier like hydrogen. To get net energy out, you'd need to locate a natural source of antimatter.

Answer 2

In reference to one of the answers above, protons and electrons are NOT antimatter, they are both matter particles. Every subatomic matter particle has an antimatter equivalent, very ordinary except for having the opposite charge, and the fact that when a matter particle and its antimatter equivalent meet, they annihilate, releasing energy according to E=mc^2.

It's not a matter of some being stable and some not. It's just as stable as the equivalent form of matter, but there's just so much matter around, it could never last very long without bumping into something. Antimatter particles are produced regularly and as a matter of course in particle accelerators and they are a natural by-product of naturally radioactive materials.

Antimatter as a fuel is the most energy efficient you could get. It would make a pretty nifty explosive too. But any you create could only be stored in isolation from any matter, making it probably too awkward and risky to be used. Also, the only way of producing it is in subatomic collisions, and it's estimated that 1 gram of antimatter, of any sort, costs approximately $1 billion right now.

Also, PET scanning just makes use of natural radioactivity and the signal produced by the annihilation.

And the "creating something from nothing" pseudo-scientific pseudo-religious crap in Angels & Demons is just that, crap. It's all very scientific and it's been known for nearly a hundred years.

Answer 3

Antimatter has been created in labs, but only on a nano-scale, and only for a few seconds.
The problem with using antimatter is the containment. How do you keep it in existence long enough to get any useful energy out of it?
There are physicists who are devoting their careers to figuring out the answer. In southern France there is a facility being built to do research into harnessing the power of fusion and subatomic particles.

Answer 4

as a matter of fact, anti matter has been made in labs on earth for quite some time now. if i remember correct, anti-matter was first observed way back in the 1950's.
at the moment, the total antimatter being produced in labs is less than even half a nanogram.
and yes it can be used as a power source if we find a way to create enough of it.

Possible uses: its already been used ever heard of PET scanning?

Answer 5

matter and ani-matter are simply protons and electrons. electrons have a negitive charge, allowing them to bond, thus creating matter. protons have a positive charge so they repel each other. but see protns and electrons are oposites and just like in magnets opposites atract. and when these 2 are together they will not bond with anything else. you can create protons using a powerful magnet. they are talking about useing this in space travel by unfurling an ionized sail, then emmiting protons to colide with particles embeded in the sail. this type of transportation would only require fuel measured in grams. and the speed has not yet been calculated. since there is no resistance in space velocity continues to increase without end. so all you would have to do is get it going and it will continue to pick up speed the whole time. we would only need enough for the initial "push" and a slight amount incase of course corections. and we would reach unknown speeds, never before ever reached. matter and anti-matter are not some form of "magic" type matter that when they touch send each other into some other dimension. they are simply protons and electron they negate eachothers abiltity to bond.

Answer 6

When matter and antimatter are combined, they let out an enormous amount of radiation and particles. That's the basis for a hypothetical "antimatter rocket".

Answer 7

Antimatter has been created in accelerators. But, it is always canceled out by the matter created with it.

Answer 8

Read angelsanddemons by Dan Brown it's AWESOME! and explains some of it in laymen's terms lol. It would be an even more devetsating weapon than nuclear missiles and safer cos there'd be no nuclear fallout it'd just eradicte an enemy in a heartbeat! Would also be a potentially very groovy power source if people were ever careful enough...

Answer 9

What they're doing in CERN, I rather doubt will create anti rely. in case you have have been given this from Angels and Demons, you relatively ought to pay no be conscious, via fact the physics in that e book is horrendous.

Answer 10

you better read DAN BROWN'S novel ANGELS AND DEMON