Scientists Claim Antimatter Breakthrough

Ananova ^ | 9-18-2002

[blam]

Scientists claim antimatter breakthrough

Scientists have announced the first large-scale production of antimatter.

A team based at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Geneva say they have developed a large amount of the substance.

Antimatter is a reverse form of ordinary matter. When the two kinds of matter meet they annihilate each other in an enormous burst of energy.

It's this process which provides the power source for Starship Enterprise in its film and TV space adventures.

Physicists have made only very small quantities of antimatter before. But the CERN team say they have made at least 50,000 atoms of anti-hydrogen, the antimatter counterpart of normal hydrogen.

They admit the achievement will not lead to starship-style warp drives - at least not in the foreseeable future.

But it could help scientists answer some of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe.

Team member Professor Michael Charlton from the University of Wales at Swansea said: "This is a milestone that has opened up new horizons, to enable scientists to study symmetry in nature and explore the fundamental laws of physics which govern the universe."

He says it will also help scientists address what happened to the antimatter created in the Big Bang.

According to Nature, the CERN scientists used sophisticated electric and magnetic field traps and ultra-low temperatures to generate the anti-atoms.

Story filed: 19:02 Wednesday 18th September 2002

[Dead Dog]

All right!! Time to go where no man has gone before!!!

I see I'm the first to make a Janet "Shake It Baby" Reno reference.

I'll just leave it as acknowleged and move on.

[Poohbah]

IIRC, even the fabled W-88 warhead only releases 0.5% of its mass as energy.

[SkyRat]

But, even if it is, wouldn't it be useful to have such a concentrated source of energy?

As a space drive or a big bomb.

[Consort]

"Antimatter" has a negative and even belligerent connotation. It should be called "Ain'tMatter" or "Doesn'tMatter" or "NotaMatteroffact".

[MHGinTN]

IF a controlled annihilation could be constructed, the production of anti-matter, then the putting together would be analogous to charging batteries to be used remotely from the charging factory ... it could be quite useful! Space travel, for instance, sending probes extraorbital.

[SkyRat]

IIRC, even the fabled W-88 warhead only releases 0.5% of its mass as energy.

I stand corrected.

[Frank_Discussion]

This is true, but if you consider that you might be able to take considerable time to collect enough to do useful work, this is an outstanding development. It might take you a few years to get a few liters of the stuff, but those few liters would liberate enough energy to give you enough power in a small space to do great things.

If it could be used for space travel, consider the number of years to develop a moon ship in the sixties. Imagine a few year's collection of antimatter to power a very large ship to Mars in a couple of days' transit.

I know, it's kind of strawman logic, but I'm just trying to make a point. There's another point to consider as well: there are actually credible theories out there for warp drive, thought the energies involved are immense. Basically, the energy requirments for such a vessel go into the warping of space, not for the propulsion itself. The warp ship may expend a lot of it's energy getting a warp established, but that opens the door to faster-than-light travel at much lower energy usage.

[Kozak]

May not lead to Warp drive, but it sure could lead to a hell of bang. Matter antimatter anihilation is a 200% efficient release of energy as 100% of the matter and 100% of the antimatter gets converted to energy. Compare that to the less then 1% efficiency of a hydrogen bomb and you can see what I mean....

[Frank_Discussion]

Always the case for all energy production, in terms of resources in versus resoures out.

[KellyAdmirer]

But it could help scientists answer some of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe.

Just once I'd like to hear these guys say that some breakthrough won't help solve a darn thing except how to make my gas bucket get an extra 20 miles a gallon. ;)

[mhking]

Scientists have announced the first large-scale production of antimatter.

Uhhh...wouldn't that make a really big boom?

[Terriergal]

When the two kinds of matter meet they annihilate each other in an enormous burst of energy.

And they are containing this antimatter how again?

[Dead Dog]

IIRC, even the fabled W-88 warhead only releases 0.5% of its mass as energy.

Seems like my undergrad course in Modern Physics put the mass-energy conversion rate for a theoretical Anti-hydrogen weapon at 80%, .5% seems right for Fusion devices. I don't remember what the assumptions were to these numbers, but they do give a reference to the destructive potential of such a device.

I also remember reading a pulp science article (Popular Science/Mechanics) about a satellite that would sit in orbit charging up an antimatter stockpile and then, when triggered, would annihilate itself vaporizing the cities beneath it. It was supposed to act like a shape charge, sort of a strategic Claymore. Sounds delightful.

[henbane]

Matter antimatter anihilation is a 200% efficient release of energy as 100% of the matter and 100% of the antimatter gets converted to energy. Compare that to the less then 1% efficiency of a hydrogen bomb and you can see what I mean....

Sounds like a small amount like 50,000 atoms could still cause quite a "POP!"

[mhking]

In unrelated news, Geneva disappeared in an enormous explosion, with an estimated yield of almost six gigatons. This is 100 times as powerful as the largest nuclear detonation recorded, which was in 1961 off of the island of Novaya Zemlya.

A scientist at FermiLab, in Illinois, was on the telephone with a researcher the CERN lab at the time of the explosion. He states that the last words he heard on the phone before the detonation were "Hey, Hans, HOLD MUH BEER AND WATCH THIS!"

You owe me a keyboard...

[varon]

He says it will also help scientists address what happened to the antimatter created in the Big Bang.

I personally think the Klingons harnessed all the antimatter. On a more series note, I would be more intersted in whatsdamatter than antimatter ;-)

[mhking]

And they are containing this antimatter how again?

Oh, some guy named Ahmed is driving it around with it in a cooler in his trunk...

[Terriergal]

The only way to contain antimatter is by some sort of magnetic trap.

And this would isolate antimatter from matter... how?

[Terriergal]

LOL!

[RightWhale]

50,000 atoms of anti-hydrogen

Not even enough for each registered FReeper to have one. But when my anti-hydrogen atom arrives via FedEx, I have big plans for it. There is a space reserved for it over the mantlepiece.