What exactly is anti-matter?

[Johnson]

Probably a dumb question, but I have never had it explained to me.

I was just wondering if someone would be able to tell me what anti-matter is, from basics, how it is formed and how it interacts with normal matter.

-Johnson

 

[humanino]

I was just wondering if someone would be able to tell me what anti-matter is, from basics

There are several approaches to define anti-matter. Mathematically, you could consider that an anti-electron (positron) is a negative-energy electron going back in time. This is a very convenient trick, but can be physically misleading. The flow backward in time is not physical, since it carries negative energy.

Take a look at those processes :

The two on the right are just propagation of a photon ($$\gamma$$) and electron $$e^-$$)
Let us concentrate on the diagram on the left. If time is flowing from left to right (and vertical represents space), what you see is an electron emiting a photon while it propagates. This is not a real process, one particle at least must be virtual, but this is no real concern here. The point is the following. If now you consider that the horizontal is space, and time flowing from bottom to top of the picture, the process now represent a (virtual) photon decaying into a pair positron/electron. The positron would in that case be the most-left red line, and the arrow indicates that this is a backward-in-time electron.

If you understand this, you are about to have understood how to create anti-matter, as well as how it interactes with ordinary matter

 

[sir-pinski]

Anti-matter is a concept in physics that refers to particles that have the same mass as regular matter, but with opposite charge and other quantum numbers. This means that anti-matter particles have the same properties as regular matter particles, but with opposite characteristics. For example, an anti-electron (also known as a positron) has the same mass as an electron, but with a positive charge instead of a negative charge.

Anti-matter is formed in high-energy processes, such as particle collisions, where matter and anti-matter particles are created in equal amounts. However, in our universe, anti-matter is relatively rare compared to regular matter. This is because when matter and anti-matter particles come into contact, they annihilate each other, releasing energy in the form of gamma rays.

In terms of how anti-matter interacts with normal matter, it follows the same laws of physics as regular matter. However, when anti-matter and matter particles come into contact, they will annihilate each other, releasing energy. This is why scientists are interested in studying anti-matter, as it can provide valuable insights into the fundamental laws of the universe.

I hope this helps to answer your question. Don't worry, it's not a dumb question at all! Physics concepts can be complex and it's always good to ask for clarification.