I'm just copying this from an old post I made from
another thread:
All known matter is surrounded by a kind of cloud of electrons. Electrons are electrically neutral. This is why my fingers are able to push down on these keys as I type: Like charges repel each other.
What if, through some collossal blunder of physics, the atoms of my fingers were surrounded by a cloud of positively charged electrons (Called Positrons)? My fingers would then pass through the keyboard, causing a shearing effect that would seperate the matter at the atomic level, and damaging the keyboard and my fingers.
If a controllable beam of positrons were to be emitted in a preset area and stream, it would pass through all known forms of matter. In fact, the only thing that would halt such a shearing effect would be another beam of positrons.
We are already able to make electrons pretty much do what we want (stunguns, Tesla Coils, etc.). How difficult would it be to do the same with positrons?
As a lifesaving tool, it would effortlessly cut through steel, concrete and anything else the user wished. As a weapon, it would bore holes through armor thicker than anything currently known. Anything made of atoms would be influenced by a positron beam.
That's the theory. Putting it in a package the size of a chrome flashlight, however.....
I'm no physicist, but I am an EE in training so YMMV...
Electrons are electrically neutral.
No, electrons have a negative charge. But you are right about like charges repelling.
I would think a stream of positrons interacting with electrons would cause a very energetic reaction as the pairs destroy each other. I don't believe they would just pass through normal matter as you are suggesting.