Does anti-matter have a stronger gravitational pull than matter?

[Kothar]

Since elementary school they taught us that gravity is about mass and we even use it in the formula to calculate the gravitational force between two masses.

As I know anti matter doesn't have a mass and not consisted of the theoretical god particle (Higgs Boson) but still it is said that anti matter has a huge gravitational pull. Doesn't mean that gravity isn't something about mass. Also if it really isn't how can the formula I explained actually works. Is it because on sub atomic levels this is not the case?

Thanks

 

[Vanadium 50]

I'm sorry, but virtually nothing in your second paragraph is correct.

 

[Kothar]

so anti matter doesn't have gravitational pull?

 

[tom.stoer]

Anti-matter behaves exactly like matter in a gravitational field; this has been demonstrated experimentally.

 

[berkeman]

so anti matter doesn't have gravitational pull?

That's not what V50 said. He said that most of the things you say in your 2nd paragraph are wrong. For instance:

"anti matter doesn't have a mass"

"anti matter has a huge gravitational pull"

Why do you say these things? Can you provide a source for these assertions?

 

[Kothar]

I have watched some documentaries, after I read your post I checked on the net and I think I misheard about the mass of anti mater. But huge gravitational pull is said in a documentary on the cerns' large hadron collider. I guess my question is invalid.

I guess I assumed only matter has what they call higgs boson particle thus have mass.

Thanks for your replies nevertheless,

 

[JoaoPais]

Yes, your assumption that antimatter does not "possess" Higgs Bosons it’s wrong. Experiment with the behavior of positrons and electrons showed that it was same, thus it’s assumed that Higgs Boson is present in anti-mater as in matter.
So to my understanding, the gravitational pull of anti-matter should be the same as for the matter.
Nevertheless, I would like to know what documentaries you’ve been seeing, because I’m also affectionate to the subject =)

 

[bcrowell]

Anti-matter behaves exactly like matter in a gravitational field; this has been demonstrated experimentally.

Are you sure about that? That's not the impression I get from this WP article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_interaction_of_antimatter There are certainly overwhelming theoretical reasons to believe that this is so, but as far as I know it hasn't been directly verified experimentally.

 

[drankin]

I'm going to be a little scifi here. Is it plausible that anti-matter creates a force inverse to gravity? And in a magnetic field it would behave identically as regular matter and therefore this characteristic is not realized outright? Is dark matter simply anti-matter aiding in the expansion of the universe? This idea probably totally breaks the rules but it's fun speculate on the unknown when you have no idea what you're talking about :).

 

[Redbelly98]

I'm going to be a little scifi here.

Please don't. The fact that you are asking questions, rather than making assertions, is keeping you just within forum bounds here. But that is just one Mentor's opinion.

Is it plausible that anti-matter creates a force inverse to gravity?

My understanding is that, according to accepted theory, antimatter and matter will attract gravitationally, rather than repel. The recent success in trapping antihydrogen may well provide a means of verifying this experimentally.

And in a magnetic field it would behave identically as regular matter and therefore this characteristic is not realized outright?

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. Identically? With an opposite charge, any charged antimatter would experience a force in the opposite direction of the corresponding matter particle.

Is dark matter simply anti-matter aiding in the expansion of the universe?

Assuming you mean dark energy, I personally do not know.

This idea probably totally breaks the rules but it's fun speculate on the unknown when you have no idea what you're talking about :).

Had you asserted those ideas, it would most certainly break forum rules.

 

[drankin]

Please don't. The fact that you are asking questions, rather than making assertions, is keeping you just within forum bounds here. But that is just one Mentor's opinion.

My understanding is that, according to accepted theory, antimatter and matter will attract gravitationally, rather than repel. The recent success in trapping antihydrogen may well provide a means of verifying this experimentally.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. Identically? With an opposite charge, any charged antimatter would experience a force in the opposite direction of the corresponding matter particle.

Assuming you mean dark energy, I personally do not know.

Had you asserted those ideas, it would most certainly break forum rules.

First of all, thank you for responding. I don't have anywhere else to ask dumb questions and actually get answers from people who know what they are talking about.

As far as the magnetic field idea, if the atom were symmetrically repelled, would it not behave identically as an atom that was symmetrically attracted? I'm speaking of the field that was created to suspend the antimatter.

 

[Kothar]

Nevertheless, I would like to know what documentaries you’ve been seeing, because I’m also affectionate to the subject =)

I found it on youtube it was a BBC documentary don't remember which one though I watch tons of documentaries each day =)

But the thing is it said that anti matter produce huge gravitational force which means in my understanding it produce more gravitational pull than ordinary mass so it means that Newton physics doesn't apply anti matter like it does to matter.

 

[JoaoPais]

But the thing is it said that anti matter produce huge gravitational force which means in my understanding it produce more gravitational pull than ordinary mass so it means that Newton physics doesn't apply anti matter like it does to matter.

It's hard for me to believe that, but i guess we'll see, once they've managed to isolate anti-matter long enough to be possible to study =) maybe now we can watch a documentary about anti-matter without that much of speculation.

 

[Kothar]

Yes I guess the documentary I watched is about theories and speculations. After they examine anti matter throughly we can know for sure.

 

[George Jones]

Yes I guess the documentary I watched is about theories and speculations. After they examine anti matter throughly we can know for sure.

Is it possible that you misinterpreted the documentary? According to standard theory, gravitation treats matter and antimatter the same.

 

[Kothar]

Is it possible that you misinterpreted the documentary? According to standard theory, gravitation treats matter and antimatter the same.

That is possible but I remember someone saying anti matter has huge gravitational pull.