Antimatter trapped

[d000hg]

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.

Is it valid to posit "pure energy"? Something has to exist to contain the energy, you mean massless entities like photons?

Also, such an "impossible box" could be the event-horizon on a black-hole, no? Or is that cheating?

[Mich the Tester]

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

Because they don't know what they're going to find, what use it will be and what new insights it will offer to improve the lot of mankind. The quest for knowledge in fundamental research is what ultimately provides knowledge for applied scientists; stop the fundamental research and before long, there'll be nothing to apply. That's the point of science; as Dara O' Briain says, 'if scientists knew everything, they'd stop'.

I could make a similar argument for art, in terms of researching innovations in aesthetics or new approaches to expressing emotion; the bad ideas are eventually filtered out and the good ones go on to inspire design and architecture, which undoubtedly has an influence on everyone's life.

[d000hg]

FTFY

Who are you referring to kandr? I've a degree in physics. Not that anti-matter and exotic stuff features too heavily, there's so much to learn about more established areas first.

[NotAllThere]

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.

IIRC, the equilibrium position is that a black hole forms.

Edit:

...
Also, such an "impossible box" could be the event-horizon on a black-hole, no? Or is that cheating?

Ah.

[kandr]

Who are you referring to kandr? I've a degree in physics. Not that anti-matter and exotic stuff features too heavily, there's so much to learn about more established areas first.

Not you. The others.

[NotAllThere]

Not you. The others.

Those with a degree in f.ckwittery.

[TimberWolf]

Is it valid to posit "pure energy"? Something has to exist to contain the energy, you mean massless entities like photons?

Also, such an "impossible box" could be the event-horizon on a black-hole, no? Or is that cheating?

Yes, just radiation.

Well I suppose one could employ a black hole but that is complicating matters, and we know they are leaky (thanks Hawking).

[TimberWolf]

The cat would die.

That could be it!

[CheeseSlice]

I've a degree in physics.

+1

Feeling jealous that I'm in the IT sector rather than in Geneva creating black holes and mini big-bangs. On the plus side IT projects are relatively short and you get to see the fruits of your labour sooner and more frequently than CERN et al do. Still jealous though.

[TimberWolf]

But, of course, it would be both dead and undead until you opened the box.

Or both particle and wave.