Antimatter Bomb?

Question

I heard several years ago, that either the Skunk Works or NASA JPL had managed to create small amounts of Antimatter. If I understand the physics correctly, a matter/antimatter bomb could very well be the most powerful explosive device in all of history. I was just hoping and Praying no such device exists.

Answer 1

The "small amounts" are the key here, nobody has enough of the stuff to make a bomb, this copied from the Wikipedia article:
"Assuming an optimal conversion of antiprotons to antihydrogen, it would take two billion years to produce 1 gram of antihydrogen"
Also this quote from someone at CERN: "If we could assemble all the antimatter we've ever made at CERN and annihilate it with matter, we would have enough energy to light a single electric light bulb for a few minutes."

Answer 2

Yes, the physicists have made small amounts of antimatter. Nobody has yet tried to make large quantities that I know of. To set your mind at ease, maybe, I was at the WorldCon in LA in the year of the rat which must have been along about 1985? Robert Forward stopped by and was invited to speak at one of the seminars impromptu. He told us he had just finished a special project for the Air Force investigating the feasibility of building a matter-antimatter star drive. He was pleased to report that he could find no theoretical reason it could not be done and better still, could find no way to turn it into a bomb. We all stood up and cheered.
Unfortunately, further reflection indicated that such a ship, looped out beyond Pluto and under acceleration all the way in, would probably have enough impact energy to shatter the earth. There is nothing that can be built that cannot be used as a weapon, and no weapon you can describe I can not find a peaceful use for.
If you want to keep track of what's being done on the frontiers of research and be 10 to 15 years ahead of what gets reported in the popular press, keep track of the annual conventions of the National Space Society and Space Studies Institute. The evening parties are often fruitful for unverified rumor and speculation, but treat them as just that.

Answer 3

Actually antimatter occurs in nature is small amounts. There is a type of radioactive decay, beta plus decay, that emits a positron (the antimatter electron).

In fact the is a common medical procedure that uses matter-antimatter interactions to take pictures of the human interior. It is the PET scan.

Answer 4

while anti-rely interacts with rely, all styles of ability is liberated--regularly interior the kind of photons--particularly some no longer elementary gamma rays. you relatively does no longer might desire to do lots greater desirable than launch the anti-rely into the ambience and enable it pass loopy annhilating despite rely is around. To make a weapon, you will probable encompass the antimatter with particularly some rely so as that it reacted as immediately as a probability till now blowing aside, and so the photons could get absorbed and converted to warmth, which might effect in a typical form of explosion.

Answer 5

A matter / antimatter bomb could start a chain reaction that would wipe out everything.

Answer 6

If there is such an anti-matter device,
it really doesn't matter. Does it?

ah- Hahhhh!

.

Answer 7

More than likely it dose. If you heard about it then it dose

Answer 8

Don't read Angels & Demons then...

Answer 9

What would you contain it in??