Can Antiparticles be Visualized in Particle Detectors?

In summary, antiparticles cannot be seen in the literal sense, but they can be detected using various methods such as cloud chambers and bubble chambers. They interact with photons and can form baryons and atoms just like their counterparts. Our eyes are also just advanced photon detectors, and colliders have more advanced detectors that can detect more than just photons. The positron was discovered by observing tracks in a cloud chamber, and in bubble chambers, antiparticle tracks look similar to particle tracks except for having opposite curvature.
  • #1
futebol2014
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Can antiparticlees be seen or can they only be detected?
 
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  • #2
We won't be able to "see" antiparticles in the literal sense, but we can detect them.

This statement applies to normal matter as well.

We can't really "see" electrons in the sense that we see them with our eyes by detecting light bouncing off of them. That can't happen, since electrons are much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.

On the other hand we can "detect" them by seeing light they give off when they hit a phosphorescent screen, etc.

The same will go for all particles smaller than the wavelength of visible light. We won't be able to see them in the literal sense, but we have different ways of detecting them (cloud chambers. bubble chambers, etc.)
 
  • #3
Please don't let "amount we have available on earth" confuse this discussion:

Yes, antipartcles look the same. They interact with photons, and form baryons and atoms just like their counterparts.

G01 said:
WWe can't really "see" electrons in the sense that we see them with our eyes by detecting light bouncing off of them. That can't happen, since electrons are much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.
That is not correct, and would be like saying you can't see atoms because they are smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.

Electrons themselves can emit enough light to be seen (if you looked through the window of a synchrotron without protection to see the electrons you'd be blinded).

In the end of course, our eye is just a photon detector. The detector at colliders are just more advanced detectors (which can detect more than photons as well).
 
  • #4
The positron was discovered in 1933 by observing tracks in a cloud chamber that behaved like electron tracks but curved in the opposite direction in a magnetic field.

Similarly, in bubble chambers, antiparticle tracks look just like particle tracks except for having opposite curvature. When I was a grad student, I saw many examples of electron-positron pairs produced by photons. As the electrons and positrons lost energy and momentum via multiple scattering in the chamber fluid, their tracks curled up in a distinctive pattern.
 

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1. Are antiparticles visible?

No, antiparticles are not visible to the naked eye as they are much smaller than atoms and cannot be seen with standard microscopes. However, they can be detected and studied using specialized equipment and techniques.

2. What are antiparticles made of?

Antiparticles are made of the same fundamental particles as regular matter, such as protons, neutrons, and electrons. The difference is that antiparticles have opposite charge and spin compared to their regular counterparts.

3. How are antiparticles created?

Antiparticles can be created through high-energy collisions, such as in particle accelerators, or through natural processes like radioactive decay. They can also be produced in small quantities through certain chemical reactions.

4. Can antiparticles exist in our everyday environment?

Yes, antiparticles can exist in our everyday environment, but they are very rare. They are constantly being created and destroyed in small amounts due to natural processes and cosmic rays.

5. What is the significance of antiparticles?

Antiparticles have significant implications in particle physics and cosmology. They help us understand the fundamental properties of matter and the origin of the universe. In practical applications, antiparticles are used in medical imaging and cancer treatment.

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