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Introduction
The other day, NHK news reported “First Observation of Gravitational Fall of ‘Antimatter’ International Research Group Including Two Japanese Researchers.
Antimatter is a substance that has the same mass as normal matter but is composed of particles with opposite electric charges. When normal matter and antimatter come into contact, they annihilate each other and release large amounts of energy, which can be a bit disturbing.
In the news, the question of whether antimatter is attracted or repelled by gravity, which has long been a question in physics regarding the relationship between this antimatter and gravity, was answered by an international research group led by Canada, including two Japanese researchers, using a huge experimental apparatus called an accelerator located on the outskirts of Geneva, Switzerland. experimental apparatus called an accelerator
The researchers developed a method to artificially create “antihydrogen,” the antimatter of hydrogen, by using a hydrogen-antimatter such as hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen peroxide, etc. They confined about 100 antihydrogen produced in a cylindrical device with a diameter of 4 cm and a length of about 25 cm that extended vertically from the floor, and repeated observations to see which side was detected more, the upper or lower side, and reported the result that more antihydrogen was detected from the lower side. The report states that they have concluded that “antimatter is pulled by gravity.
In this article, I would like to discuss this antimatter.
What is antimatter?
Matter in the universe is composed of elementary particles such as protons and electrons. Antiparticles such as anti-protons, which have the same mass as elementary particles but have the opposite electrical sign, also exist, and it has been confirmed that “anti-matter” exists as a collection of anti-particles.
However, it is believed that antimatter disappeared when it collided with matter and became energy through annihilation, and only matter remained.
Antimatter is mainly generated when high-energy particles bombard matter, or when high-energy cosmic ray particles collide with the atmosphere or other matter, or in the case of electron antimatter called positron, it is generated in the decay postulate of radioactive isotopes called beta decay, and tritium, which is now the focus of attention in the treated water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, is also generated through beta decay when it decays to helium.
Antimatter is difficult to observe because it is attracted to and quickly annihilated by nearby ordinary matter, making it difficult to verify various hypotheses.
In this report, we have established a method to stably and regularly produce antimatter (antihydrogen) with a size large enough to measure the effect of gravity using an accelerator, and furthermore, we have made it possible to stably confine the produced antihydrogen in a container, which has made this possible.
The mystery of the fact that there was an equal number of matter and antimatter when the universe was created, but that there is almost no antimatter in the universe today, leaving only matter, is explained by the theory that the lifetimes of matter and antimatter are only slightly different in the particle group, and that this reaction to gravity is different for matter and antimatter, which is the hypothesis that affects them. If the hypothesis that the response to gravity is different between matter and antimatter and affects them is derived in the future, it could have a great impact on the theory of the origin of the universe.
What can antimatter be used for?
Such antimatter can be envisioned for a variety of uses. The simplest use is the idea of using antimatter as a weapon using annihilation, for example, the TV series Star Trek uses “photon torpedoes,” weapons loaded with antimatter,
In the ARMS manga, the ARMS “Jabberwock” implanted in the main character has the ability to generate anti-matter,
In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, a weapon called the positron rifle utilizes the energy generated when electrons and positrons annihilate each other.
When using antimatter in these ways, the biggest problem is “how to stably confine antimatter, which reacts with matter and disappears.” In the aforementioned article, it is mentioned that the movement of antimatter can be controlled using lasers, so this is not at all impossible.
Even outside of this fictional world, antimatter is being considered for a variety of uses, taking advantage of its unique properties. The following are some of the possible uses of antimatter
1. energy production: When antimatter comes into contact with ordinary matter, it annihilates and releases enormous amounts of energy. This energy release could theoretically be a very efficient energy source. However, with current technology, it is difficult to generate and control antimatter on a large scale, and its application to energy production has not yet reached the practical stage. Research into these issues is ongoing and may be realized in the future.
2. Rocket propulsion: Antimatter-based propulsion systems are expected to provide very high specific impulse (a measure of rocket engine efficiency). This could lead to faster and more efficient rocket designs for space exploration missions, etc. Research is being conducted to overcome the technical challenges of antimatter generation and storage.
3. Radiotherapy: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical diagnostic technique that uses the pair annihilation of positrons and electrons to diagnose and plan cancer treatment. It is also applied to cancer treatment by irradiating cancer cells with high-energy positron beams.
4. material diagnostics: Precise material diagnostics and material evaluation are conducted using antimatter. Antimatter is used as a tool to investigate the properties of materials in detail, which is especially important in particle physics research.
5. space exploration: Propellants and high-energy detectors using antimatter may be used in future space missions. Detectors containing antimatter will be useful as instruments for observing high-energy cosmic rays and for unraveling the mysteries of the universe.
Among these, positron emission tomography (PET: Positron Emission Tomography) and precise material diagnostics and material evaluation using antimatter will be widely practical technologies.
Although there are technical challenges associated with the generation, storage, control, and safety of antimatter, the potential benefits are significant, and researchers are addressing these challenges and exploring future applications.
reference book
For reference books, see “Antimatter: The Ultimate Mirror“.
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