what is antimatter? how it can be useful?

Answer 1

In particle physics and quantum chemistry, antimatter extends the concept of the antiparticle to matter, whereby antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles. For example an antielectron (is a positron, an electron with a positive charge) and an antiproton (is a negatron, proton with a negative charge) could form an antihydrogen atom in the same way that an electron and a proton form a normal matter hydrogen atom. Furthermore, mixing of matter and antimatter would lead to the annihilation of both in the same way that mixing of antiparticles and particles does, thus giving rise to high-energy photons (gamma rays) or other particle–antiparticle pairs. The particles resulting from matter-antimatter annihilation are endowed with energy equal to the difference between the rest mass of the products of the annihilation and the rest mass of the original matter-antimatter pair, which is often quite large.

There is considerable speculation both in science and science fiction as to why the observable universe is apparently almost entirely matter, whether other places are almost entirely antimatter instead, and what might be possible if antimatter could be harnessed, but at this time the apparent asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the visible universe is one of the greatest unsolved problems in physics. Possible processes by which it came about are explored in more detail under baryogenesis.
Uses

Medical

Antimatter-matter reactions have practical applications in medical imaging, such as positron emission tomography (PET). In positive beta decay, a nuclide loses surplus positive charge by emitting a positron (in the same event, a proton becomes a neutron, and neutrinos are also given off). Nuclides with surplus positive charge are easily made in a cyclotron and are widely generated for medical use.

Fuel

In antimatter-matter collisions resulting in photon emission, the entire rest mass of the particles is converted to kinetic energy. The energy per unit mass (9×1016 J/kg) is about 10 orders of magnitude greater than chemical energy (compared to TNT at 4.2×106 J/kg, and formation of water at 1.56×107 J/kg), about 4 orders of magnitude greater than nuclear energy that can be liberated today using nuclear fission (about 40 MeV per 238U nucleus transmuted to Lead, or 1.5×1013 J/kg), and about 2 orders of magnitude greater than the best possible from fusion (about 6.3×1014 J/kg for the proton-proton chain). The reaction of 1 kg of antimatter with 1 kg of matter would produce 1.8×1017 J (180 petajoules) of energy (by the mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc²), or the rough equivalent of 43 megatons of TNT.

Not all of that energy can be utilized by any realistic technology, because as much as 50% of energy produced in reactions between nucleons and antinucleons is carried away by neutrinos, so, for all intents and purposes, it can be considered lost.

The scarcity of antimatter means that it is not readily available to be used as fuel, although it could be used in antimatter catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion. Generating a single antiproton is immensely difficult and requires particle accelerators and vast amounts of energy—millions of times more than is released after it is annihilated with ordinary matter, due to inefficiencies in the process. Known methods of producing antimatter from energy also produce an equal amount of normal matter, so the theoretical limit is that half of the input energy is converted to antimatter. Counterbalancing this, when antimatter annihilates with ordinary matter, energy equal to twice the mass of the antimatter is liberated—so energy storage in the form of antimatter could (in theory) be 100% efficient. Antimatter production is currently very limited, but has been growing at a nearly geometric rate since the discovery of the first antiproton in 1955.[citation needed] The current antimatter production rate is between 1 and 10 nanograms per year, and this is expected to increase to between 3 and 30 nanograms per year by 2015 or 2020 with new superconducting linear accelerator facilities at CERN and Fermilab. Some researchers claim that with current technology, it is possible to obtain antimatter for US$25 million per gram by optimizing the collision and collection parameters (given current electricity generation costs). Antimatter production costs, in mass production, are almost linearly tied in with electricity costs, so economical pure-antimatter thrust applications are unlikely to come online without the advent of such technologies as deuterium-tritium fusion power (assuming that such a power source actually would prove to be cheap). Many experts, however, dispute these claims as being far too optimistic by many orders of magnitude. They point out that in 2004; the annual production of antiprotons at CERN was several picograms at a cost of $20 million. This means to produce 1 gram of antimatter, CERN would need to spend 100 quadrillion dollars and run the antimatter factory for 100 billion years. Storage is another problem, as antiprotons are negatively charged and repel against each other, so that they cannot be concentrated in a small volume. Plasma oscillations in the charged cloud of antiprotons can cause instabilities that drive antiprotons out of the storage trap. For these reasons, to date only a few million antiprotons have been stored simultaneously in a magnetic trap, which corresponds to much less than a femtogram. Antihydrogen atoms or molecules are neutral so in principle they do not suffer the plasma problems of antiprotons described above. But cold antihydrogen is far more difficult to produce than antiprotons, and so far not a single antihydrogen atom has been trapped in a magnetic field.

Several NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts-funded studies are exploring whether it might be possible to use magnetic scoops to collect the antimatter that occurs naturally in the Van Allen belts of Earth, and ultimately, the belts of gas giants like Jupiter, hopefully at a lower cost per gram

Since the energy density is vastly higher than these other forms, the thrust to weight equation used in antimatter rocketry and spacecraft would be very different. In fact, the energy in a few grams of antimatter is enough to transport an unmanned spacecraft to Mars in about a month—the Mars Global Surveyor took eleven months to reach Mars. It is hoped that antimatter could be used as fuel for interplanetary travel or possibly interstellar travel, but it is also feared that if mankind ever gets the capabilities to do so, there could be the construction of antimatter weapons.

Military

Because of its potential to release immense amounts of energy in contact with normal matter, there has been interest in various weapon uses, potentially enabling miniature warheads of pinhead-size to be more destructive than modern-day nuclear weapons. However, this development is still in early planning stages, though antimatter weapons are very popular in science fiction such as in Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy where the production of antimatter leads to the possibility of use as both a fuel and highly effective weapon

Answer 2

Antimatter is exactly what it says pretty much. Its the opposite of matter. When the bigbang occured there was about a billion Antimatter particles for every One billion and one particle of matter, But the reason antimatter particles arent naturally found is because when they collide with matter they anhiliate each other. A positron is the opposite of an electron and the Negatron is the opposite of a Proton. They could be useful in providing an abundance of energy, however it is very expensive, and costs up to and beyond $30million usd for one gram of it.

Answer 3

Starting from the reference, look at particle physics. Antimatter is useful to us only to the extent that it helps us learn the fine structure of the universe and study cosmology questions like the asymmetry problem. That is, why did matter predominate over antimatter? The second most important use is fodder for science fiction. It is the fuel for warp drive in Star Trek.

Thanks to the later answer, I'll put PET scanning as second, and move science fiction down to third place.

Answer 4

we can surely produce and incorporate antimatter utilizing atom smashers and EM fields, yet carrying a mile-diameter FermiLab complicated on a spaceship would not look very feasable, does it? With our modern technologies, we can't produce antimatter in any important parts to ability a lightbulb for terribly long, not to show a starship. Plus, storing it takes as plenty if not extra ability than it would produce. So, until we make some advances in production and storage, it is not available any time quickly. we can genuinely administration and harness antimatter utilizing electromagnetic fields, that's how atom smashers artwork. Antimatter is very risky, on account that if containment fails and it hits the partitions of the chamber, you get an out of control launch of ability and annihilation of yet it hits, that's undesirable information for all and sundry interior sight.

Answer 5

antimatter is like matter except it has a different charge. The anti-electron has a positive charge instead of a negative charge and so on....It can be used as a power source or a weapon. when an anti-electron or proton or whatever collides with it's counterpart all of the energy contained within the particles is released.

Answer 6

Antimatter is used all the time in hospitals around the world that use positron emission tomography (PET scanning). The positrons are emitted during the decay of one of various radioisotopes.

Answer 7

antimatter means absence of matter. when the matter was formed from the space due specific phenomena. once matter was formed from the space the remaining part was considered as antimatter.This can be useful to understand the property of matter if it can be traced out but still it is not possible.

Answer 8

Antimeter :

An Antimeter is modification of the quadrant, for measuring small angles.

Davis kept one small glass tube that he can't identify and has no idea what it is used for. Labeled an "antimeter," the slim stem resembles a thermometer, with mercury in a bulb below an empty larger bulb and graduated numbers along the slender top portion.

"I haven't found anyone that knows what it is," he said. "I saved it."

The antimeter, in its wooden case, sits alongside an enlarger with a sophisticated computer attachment that analyzes each negative and automates lens and timer settings.

Answer 9

anti matter is the opposite of matter.to go to details, read the book"angels and demons"