Unveiling the Mystery of Antimatter Galaxies: Modern Cosmology's Perspective"

In summary, modern astronomy and cosmology have ruled out the possibility of observable galaxies being made of antimatter or containing both matter and antimatter stars due to the absence of huge bursts of energy that would occur if they were to mix. This is also supported by the fact that galaxies collide without any noticeable energy releases from the interaction of matter and antimatter. Additionally, the distribution of matter and antimatter in the early universe makes it unlikely for whole galaxies to be made of antimatter. Despite ongoing research and debates, the mystery of why our universe is matter-dominated remains.
  • #1
Delta2
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How modern astronomy/cosmology rules out the possibility that some of observable galaxies are made of antimatter? Or within the same galaxy some stars/solar systems to be made of matter while others from antimatter? Isnt light emitted by antimatter exactly the same as that from matter?
 
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  • #2
The problem arises when the two mix - hugely energetic bursts of energy for no other apparent reason. This is not observed. The question you must ask is why anti matter and matter would be so segregated as to rarely interact.
 
  • #3
Chronos said:
The question you must ask is why anti matter and matter would be so segregated as to rarely interact.

And i ask why it wouldn't be so. For example in our solar system the only bodies we see within it that we can say that they might origin outside of it are the comets. Even if we had a comet made of antimatter how huge could be this energetic burst of this comet with other bodies of our solar system made of matter?

And ok let's say we rule out the possibility of matter and anti matter stars within the same galaxy, why couldn't we have whole galaxies made of antimatter, we rarely see two galaxies colliding( correct me if i am wrong here ) in order to observe a galaxy of matter and a galaxy of antimatter colliding.
 
  • #4
Delta² said:
And ok let's say we rule out the possibility of matter and anti matter stars within the same galaxy, why couldn't we have whole galaxies made of antimatter, we rarely see two galaxies colliding( correct me if i am wrong here ) in order to observe a galaxy of matter and a galaxy of antimatter colliding.

Actually, we see many examples of galaxies colliding. The link below shows just a few. If any of these were a mixture of matter and anti-matter, we would see huge energy releases, which we don't, as Chronos said. Also, intergalactic space is not empty, it is filled with low density ionized gas (Google ICM or intercluster medium). When this gas interacted between neighboring galaxies, we would again see the energy release if some of it were matter and some antimatter, which we don't.


http://www.google.com/search?q=gala...o2fHcbe0QHGq_RY&ved=0CFQQsAQ&biw=1360&bih=543
 
  • #5
And in the very early universe, matter was extremely uniformly-distributed. When the cosmic microwave background was emitted, for example, our universe was uniform to one part in 100,000. At that early time, there was simply no place for anti-matter to be separated from normal matter.
 
  • #6
To really understand why this is so unlikely you would need to understand the overview of the history of the universe. Wikipedia and other online sources can give you a great overview of the subject and I suggest hitting them up and reading as much as you can about the subject. To answer it simply, there was never a point in time that antimatter could have stayed separate from normal matter in large enough quantities to form even small planetoids, much less entire galaxies. One of the leading mysteries is why our universe seems to be matter dominated. According to known laws matter and antimatter should have been produced in equal amounts and annihilated with each other, leaving nothing but photons I believe. Yet here we are!
 

Related to Unveiling the Mystery of Antimatter Galaxies: Modern Cosmology's Perspective"

1. What is antimatter and how is it different from regular matter?

Antimatter is a type of matter that has the same mass as regular matter but with opposite charge. This means that when antimatter comes into contact with regular matter, they annihilate each other and produce energy. Antimatter is also very rare in the universe, as it is usually created in high-energy processes such as particle collisions.

2. How do we know that there are antimatter galaxies?

Scientists have observed the presence of antimatter particles in cosmic rays and in laboratory experiments. This led to the theory that there could be entire galaxies made of antimatter. In 2008, the European Space Agency's INTEGRAL satellite detected a signal from the center of our Milky Way galaxy that is consistent with the annihilation of antimatter particles, providing evidence for the existence of antimatter galaxies.

3. How are antimatter galaxies formed?

There are several theories on the formation of antimatter galaxies. One theory suggests that they may have formed in a similar way to regular matter galaxies, through the collapse of gas clouds and the formation of stars. However, another theory proposes that antimatter galaxies could have formed in the early universe during the Big Bang, when matter and antimatter were created in equal amounts.

4. Can we observe antimatter galaxies directly?

Currently, we do not have the technology to directly observe antimatter galaxies. However, scientists are working on developing new detection methods and instruments that may allow us to observe them in the future. Until then, we can indirectly study the properties of antimatter galaxies through the detection of high-energy gamma rays produced by the annihilation of antimatter particles.

5. How does the existence of antimatter galaxies affect our understanding of the universe?

The presence of antimatter galaxies challenges our current understanding of the universe, as it raises questions about the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. According to the Big Bang theory, matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts, yet we observe a universe dominated by matter. Studying and understanding antimatter galaxies can provide valuable insights into the fundamental laws of physics and the origins of the universe.

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