What are the forces applying to antimatter?

In summary, the conversation discusses the forces that apply to anti-matter, specifically the attraction and repulsion between different types of particles in the anti-matter family. The idea of using anti-matter for anti-gravity is mentioned, but ultimately dismissed as anti-matter behaves similarly to regular matter when it comes to gravity. The role of photons in anti-matter and gravity is also mentioned.
  • #1
IooqXpooI
54
0
I don't know if this is true or not, and I have a feeling that it has already been proven otherwise, but I think that the forces applying to antimatter are flipped.

For instance, a positron and an electron would repel, and a positron and a proton would attract(don't mind the inserting of the electron, it was the only negatively charged particle that I could think of that was of the matter family).

If this is so, then two like pairs of different matter families would attract, and also, be quite interesting(so interesting, that this is provably proved wrong due to the fact that I would have heard of it no matter how much I miss the Physics news).

Imagine this- you have a positron on one side of a box, with that side charged positively with matter, so it is attracted, and a proton in the same state on the other(wall charged negatively, etc.). Now imagine that you insert an electron. If you do so, it will be repelled from the Antimatter and attracted with [tex]\frac{kQq}{r^2} + \frac{r^2}{kQq}[/tex] to the proton, due to the repulsion and the skewed logic used by me to find the inverted formula is the Antimatter version(thus stating that they use Reverse Gravity as we use Gravity, etc.).

Soo, evaluate this and try not to give too much criticism, for I know that it is hard to hold back with something like this...;)
 
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  • #2
Don't read too much into the name anti-matter. Positrons are positively charged and act that way. They are attracted to electrons. Collisions between electrons and positrons are quite common, producing two gamma rays (511 kev).
 
  • #3
Mathman is correct IMHO. Antimatter acts just like matter until it gets close to matter, then every thing comes unglued. Antimatter has normal gravity, same as regular matter.

Vern
 
  • #4
Besides all these things on matter and anti-matter come from Dirac and are well covered by QFT, i guess

marlon
 
  • #5
Anti-matter does not produce anti gravity, just the ordinary attractive version.
 
  • #6
Chronos said:
Anti-matter does not produce anti gravity, just the ordinary attractive version.
Photons are their own anti-particles, and gravity affects them in the normal way.
 
  • #7
Yes yes, I know this, but I wasn't sure about the forces applying to them...Well, now that it has been confirmed, you may ignore this theory...;)
 

Related to What are the forces applying to antimatter?

1. What is antimatter?

Antimatter is a type of matter composed of antiparticles, which have the same mass as regular particles but with opposite charge. When antimatter comes into contact with regular matter, they annihilate each other and release a large amount of energy.

2. What forces apply to antimatter?

The same fundamental forces that apply to regular matter also apply to antimatter. These include gravity, electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force.

3. How is antimatter created?

Antimatter can be created through various processes, such as high-energy collisions in particle accelerators or through radioactive decay. It can also be produced naturally in some astronomical events, such as supernovae explosions.

4. Why is antimatter important in scientific research?

Studying antimatter can provide valuable insights into the nature of the universe and help us understand the fundamental laws of physics. It can also have practical applications, such as in medical imaging and cancer treatment.

5. Is antimatter dangerous?

Antimatter is not inherently dangerous, but when it comes into contact with regular matter, it can release a large amount of energy. Therefore, proper handling and storage are necessary when working with antimatter. Additionally, the cost and difficulty of producing and containing antimatter make it unlikely to be used as a weapon.

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