Given the fact that I'm a laymen (layman?) and don't have a science education past my college freshman year (intro) physics class, little help on understanding it? I get the concept, but what exactly IS it? How would it be employed to (supposedly) generate great deals of energy (sue me, I like Star Trek)?
2007-12-07 06:52:27 · 8 answers · asked by Skalite 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Anti-matter is matter that has the exact opposite charge as matter. Meaning the electrons are positive instead of negative and the protons are negative instead of positive. If there were a way to produce and isolate anti-matter in any quantity (they can produce it now, but it is almost instantly consumed after being produced in particle accelerators) then it would react with matter to produce energy as per the formula e=mc^2, in other words, an incredible quantity of energy would be available from a small amount of anitmatter. The entire mass of the antimatter would react with an equal mass of matter turning entirely into energy, unlike burning fuel with releases a very small amount of energy contained in chemical bonds, or even in nuclear reactions where a larger, but still comparatively small amount of energy is released by the splitting of large nuclei or the fusing of small nuclei.
2007-12-07 07:03:52 · answer #1 · answered by theseeker4 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
It's matter built from antiparticles corresponding to the particles in ordinary matter. Instead of electrons around a nucleus of protons and neutrons you'd have positrons (antielectrons) orbiting nuclei made of antiprotons and antineutrons.
Antiparticles are like mirror images of ordinary particles in the sense that all their quantum numbers are opposite. For example, they have opposite electric charge.
I think it was just a few years ago they were actually able to make antihydrogen atoms. I haven't followed what's been done lately.
And yes -- matter-antimatter annihilation would be a tremendous source of energy if you could locate and control a decent supply of antimatter. There doesn't seem to be any floating around, though.
2007-12-07 15:09:39 · answer #2 · answered by Steve H 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The opposite of the particles making up the matter of our universe, like the anti proton, and anti electrron/positron, and like anti all other particles that are in our universe. These anti matter cancel out matter when they sequence, and become energy or gamma rays.
2007-12-07 23:51:29 · answer #3 · answered by Qyn 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One addition: anti-matter is not a source of energy (nothing is, really). It could be a way to STORE large amounts of energy for future space flights to and beyond the Oort-cloud. The price to pay for that "synthetic fuel" would be enormous, though. And there are even "better" applications of antimatter than direct annihilation:
http://www.engr.psu.edu/antimatter/introduction.html
2007-12-07 15:45:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Anti matter has opposite chemical makeup of matter. A proton and electron is matter, a neutron and positron is anti matter, when they make contact they are destroyed and form a gamma ray.
2007-12-07 16:42:51 · answer #5 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think that's the stuff Darkseid was always after in The New Gods and The Forever People.
2007-12-07 15:00:09 · answer #6 · answered by Mr. Vincent Van Jessup 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
short form anti-matter is matter with its particles reversed.
anti-protons for protons etc.
when anti-matter hits matter you get total conversion of mass
and energy by the old e=mc^2
Darkseid was after antilife
2007-12-07 15:00:13 · answer #7 · answered by Stephen Y 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
it's pretty much what the McDonald's menu is comprised of.
2007-12-07 15:43:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋