Antiatoms, its uses and development

[gisburnuk]

I read a interesting article in this months issue of scientific american about the production of antiatoms, in particular the antiatom of hydrogen.

The research was developed to find out whether their was any flaws in the CPT symmetry, and whether they could implement a new fuel, providing thrust via the anihilation of these antiatoms and atoms.

What the particle physicists had to do was to find how to capture antiprotons and positrons seperatly via a trap to make antihydrogen.

They first of all needed acess to the CERN particle collider. To produce antiproton, they needed to fire a proton into a copper wire or metal (from memory).And to produce a positron, they needed a isotope (sodium) which emits several high speed positrons.

Before they could detect any defects in CPT symmetry (via the analysis of the spectra of antihydrogen) they had to find a way to slow these newly formed antiparticles. The method was to use aluminium sheets and the magnetic and electric inner shell of CERN.

Another team of particle physicists also found a easier and cheaper way of producing antihydrogen by using lasers.

I am interested to know whether anybody elese had found this article interesting?

As far as vehicle engine technology goes, it still remains the same after 100 years! I remain optimistic to see how far the production of antiatoms goes.

If particle phycisists found a cheaper and mass productive way of producing antiatoms, we would expand our lazy ideas and imagination, that I hope will one day eventually take our eyes away from fossil fuels and conventionality.

 

 

Hydrogen fuel cell engines have also remained close to the headlines, but as far as development of hydrogen is concerned, it still remains inefficient and costly. Ion engines is another option, but this is still in its development stage for its use in space probes.

[lethalfang]

The energy released during a matter/anti-matter reaction is enormous.

Therefore, the energy required to make them is also enourmous, plus some more, to satisfy the laws of thermodynamics.

The only way to use anti-matter as an energy source without putting in more energy, is to find antimatters sitting somewhere in the universe and retrive it.

[Severian]

It could never be a method of generating energy, but it could be a means of storing it.

 

I personally think we should be spending more money researching proton beam driven Thorium fission.

[calbiterol]

The energy released during a matter/anti-matter reaction is enormous.

Therefore' date=' the energy required to make them is also enourmous, plus some more, to satisfy the laws of thermodynamics.

The only way to use anti-matter as an energy source without putting in more energy, is to find antimatters sitting somewhere in the universe and retrive it.[/quote']

 

As Severian said, the objective is not to generate power, but rather to store it. With 17 grams of antimatter, you can get to Alpha Centauri. The amount of conventional (or even unconventional) fuel required to do this in the same amount of time is enormous, which makes it unfeasible - it it just way too large of an engineering hurdle for anything but an advanced civilization to accomplish, and an advanced civilization wouldn't be stuck on powering their spaceships with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

 

Source for the figure: May 2005 Popular Mechanics, page 90.

[Hyd]

An Anti-matter engine would require enormous amount of energy inputted to control the actual reaction. You have to keep matter completely seperate from anti-matter, thus it would be extremely inefficient exspecially if you had to make the anti-matter yourself. Plus, to get antimatter and keep it as such you can't let it touch matter at all. Also, if you screw up with a ton of anti-matter, you're dead probably. Anti-matter reactors are either improbable or just too inefficient when compared to other energy sources.

[calbiterol]

They've also created an antimatter trap that prevents these antihydrogen atoms from obliterating. And the whole point is power:weight ratio on the spacecraft.

[Hyd]

Source for antimatter trap?

[calbiterol]

June 2005 Scientific American, article title "Making Cold Antimatter," page 78. The traps were created to slow down the antihydrogen atoms in order to study them.