Greetings and antimatter question

In summary, physicists use magnetic bottles to keep antiprotons from annihilating with normal matter.
  • #1
alexbib
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Greetings everyone, I'm new to these forums and would first like to salute all of you.

Also, I've got a few little questions about matter/antimatter interaction and was wandering if anybody could help me out.

What are the conditions that must be met for a particle and an antiparticle to annihilate?

Say I shoot an antiproton into gazeous helium, would it be able to annihilate with a proton that is bound in an He nucleous? What if you make it collide with dense, solid material?

Also, could an antihydrogen atom annihilate directly with an hydrogen atom? What about with a normal matter atom of another kind (Cu for example)?

Alex
 
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  • #2
Originally posted by alexbib
Greetings everyone, I'm new to these forums and would first like to salute all of you.
Welcome!
What are the conditions that must be met for a particle and an antiparticle to annihilate?
They must collide.
Say I shoot an antiproton into gazeous helium, would it be able to annihilate with a proton that is bound in an He nucleous? What if you make it collide with dense, solid material?
Yes, it will be attracted to the nucleus both via electromagnetism and via the strong force, and will annihiliate with the first proton encountered.
Also, could an antihydrogen atom annihilate directly with an hydrogen atom? What about with a normal matter atom of another kind (Cu for example)?
Yes, in both cases.

- Warren
 
  • #3
Ok, thanks for answers mate!
 
  • #4
Back in the Renaissance alchemists were searching for the universal solvent, a substance that would dissolve everything. Practical minded folks asked them "What would you keep it in?"

Physicists who make antimatter have this problem too. How can they prevent their precious and expensive antiprotons from contacting some normal matter and annihilating? They use magnetic bottles and keep the protons in ionized (charged) form so they can be confined by the magnetism. I think there are maybe a few ounces of antiprotons saved in labs over all the earth.
 

1. What is antimatter?

Antimatter is a form of matter that is composed of antiparticles, which have the same mass as their corresponding particles but opposite charges. When antimatter comes into contact with regular matter, they annihilate each other, releasing energy.

2. How is antimatter produced?

Antimatter can be produced through various processes, such as high-energy collisions between particles, radioactive decay, and through the decay of certain subatomic particles. It can also be created artificially in particle accelerators.

3. Can antimatter be used as a source of energy?

Yes, antimatter can potentially be used as a source of energy. When antimatter and matter annihilate each other, they release a massive amount of energy. However, currently, the production and storage of antimatter are extremely difficult and expensive, making it impractical as an energy source.

4. What are the applications of antimatter?

Currently, the most significant application of antimatter is in scientific research. Scientists use it to study the fundamental laws of physics and to understand the origins of the universe. It also has potential applications in medical imaging and cancer treatment.

5. Is antimatter dangerous?

Antimatter is not inherently dangerous. In fact, it exists naturally in small amounts in our universe. However, if antimatter is not properly contained and controlled, it can interact with regular matter and release a large amount of energy, potentially causing harm. Therefore, strict safety measures are necessary when working with antimatter.

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