Antimatter trapped

[d000hg]

I see. So really matter is just as useful, you just need to find a supply of antimatter to release its potential.

Actually on further thought, it's impossible to release ALL or even most energy stored in regular matter. Fusion/Fission changes one element into another, and releases energy in the process. The net number of 'things' is still conserved e.g number of protons/neutrons (more complex in reality but the point is valid). However in matter/anti-matter, the actual sub-atomic particles are destroyed IIRC, e.g a proton and anti-proton collide and 'disappear' (again a simplification).

[TimberWolf]

No, it's reported as atoms of anti-hydrogen. So positron bound to antiproton. The report says they'll soon be making considerably more than a few atoms....

(...at that point there was a very loud bang, and California fell into the sea ).

Which interestingly is the way the universe started, allegedly, with heavier elements taking (presumably) billions of years to arrive on the scene, needing stars to go supernova for their manufacture. It will be interesting to see if they can make heavier anti-elements, or even molecules.

[NotAllThere]

Why do scientists want to f*** about with all this anti-matter and black hole stuff?

Because it is the adult equivalent of the game that we used to play as kids chucking bigger and bigger stones at a window until you found the one big enough to cave it in (at which point you realise the game was never that good an idea in the first place)

Actually on further thought, it's impossible to release ALL or even most energy stored in regular matter. Fusion/Fission changes one element into another, and releases energy in the process. The net number of 'things' is still conserved e.g number of protons/neutrons (more complex in reality but the point is valid). However in matter/anti-matter, the actual sub-atomic particles are destroyed IIRC, e.g a proton and anti-proton collide and 'disappear' (again a simplification).

No. In fission and fusion a small amount of matter is converted to energy. When you do the sums, you find that there's more energy after the reaction than before, with a corresponding loss of mass. In the Hiroshima explosion, about 700g of matter was converted to energy. In the 50MT Czar bomb, 2.3kg of matter was converted.

[Mich the Tester]

A few dozens of antimatter atoms* have been trapped for a record 1/5 second, paving the way for experiments on antimatter behaviour and properties to be carried out.
UC Berkeley physicists trap antimatter atoms

Despite the talk of Star Trek physics being possible, and that antimatter is the most energy dense (energy/mass) material theoretically possible, 100 times than that from nuclear fusion, that's still flip all enough to go zooming around the stars. Ever. Doomed.



* It's reported as atoms, but may just be antiparticles, positron, antiquark, etc.

And kudos to TW for posting something more interesting than the economic drivel we see every day.

[d000hg]

No. In fission and fusion a small amount of matter is converted to energy. When you do the sums, you find that there's more energy after the reaction than before, with a corresponding loss of mass. In the Hiroshima explosion, about 700g of matter was converted to energy. In the 50MT Czar bomb, 2.3kg of matter was converted.

Now go back and read what I said. Of course mass is converted to energy, that's the whole point of fission/fusion. But this energy comes from rearranging nucleons into lower-energy nuclei, releasing the extra binding energy as photons or as kinetic energy on escaping particles. As a result mass is converted to energy. But you don't lose anywhere near all the mass of material involved, and you don't end up losing a whole pile of nucleons... neutrons can shed electrons to form protons, etc.

In a M/AM event, you actually annihilate particles when they meet their anti-particle and cancel out, leaving energy behind.

[kandr]

Is any of this going increase my rate? Thought not.....NEXT!

[d000hg]

And kudos to TW for posting something that DP, Sas et al don't even know how to comment on with stupid trolling, other than by using the rep system

FTFY

[TimberWolf]

Now go back and read what I said. Of course mass is converted to energy, that's the whole point of fission/fusion. But this energy comes from rearranging nucleons into lower-energy nuclei, releasing the extra binding energy as photons or as kinetic energy on escaping particles. As a result mass is converted to energy. But you don't lose anywhere near all the mass of material involved, and you don't end up losing a whole pile of nucleons... neutrons can shed electrons to form protons, etc.

In a M/AM event, you actually annihilate particles when they meet their anti-particle and cancel out, leaving energy behind.

Things get interesting when you start thinking about this being done inside a sealed box that could (impossibly) contain the radiation. If matter and antimatter were completely annihilated inside a box, it's mass would remain unchanged and for an instant the box would presumably be full of pure energy instead of matter. But then what? Does matter reform? What is the equilibrium position? Assume a small box to save waiting around.

[gingerjedi]

Can it be taxed?

[kandr]

And kudos to TW for posting something that some of the posters here will try and pretend they understand when they haven't even taken a Physics course and only read a Wikipedia article, so are like monkeys throwing tulip around.

FTFY