Converting Energy into Matter: Is it Possible?

[Jake]

E=mc2, so we can get energy from matter. However, is there any known way, theoreticall or otherwise, to convert energy into MATTER? Because so far I haven't heard of any.

 

[pervect]

One of the main things physicsists do with high energy particle accelerators is to observe the processes via which energy (of motion) is converted into particles (matter). Most of the particles created this way are fairly exotic, but a few of them are the same as in normal matter.

 

[pmb_phy]

E=mc2, so we can get energy from matter. However, is there any known way, theoreticall or otherwise, to convert energy into MATTER? Because so far I haven't heard of any.

I'm not sure what this means.

However if an atom absorbs a photon the rest mass will increase. Is that what you're looking for?

Pete

 

[mathman]

There is a well known process where energy is converted into matter, called pair production. It occurs when a high energy photon (gamma ray > 1.022 Mev) passes near a nucleus (needed for momentum conservation) and splits into an electron-positron pair. For much higher energies, other pairs are possible.