Gravitation and Antimatter: Does it Matter?

In summary, the law of gravitation states that when two masses are separated by a distance d, the gravitational force between them is determined by the equation F = Gm1m2/d2. While this law applies to matter and antimatter, it is yet to be experimentally tested and verified. Antimatter has a positive mass and is attracted to matter by both gravity and magnetism. However, the concept of negative mass is still being researched. The overall attraction between antimatter and matter is expected to be greater than that between two masses of matter at the same distance, but further experimentation is needed to confirm this.
  • #1
The legend
422
0
According to Newtons law of gravitation
when 2 masses are separated by distance d ,,, then the gravitational force acting on them is
F = Gm1m2/d2

Does this apply to antimatter and antimatter (negative mass and negative mass)??

And also does it apply to matter and antimatter (mass and negative mass)?

(I actually am very very new to this concept of antimatter ... so if I m wrong somewhere please do point out so that I can improve!)

Thanks for your help!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
No, antimatter has mass in the same way that matter does.
 
  • #3
Antimatter and matter are attracted together both by gravity and magnetism. Dealing with gravity antimatter has mass and matter has mass. Antimatter has an opposite spin causing opposite charge, but it still has mass. Same for matter. The point is antimatter has a positive mass. How can you have a negative mass? A mass of 0 would not have mass. Negative mass? How can that be?
 
  • #4
Got it ... I just heard about this negative mass research going on somewhere related to antimatter... maybe I heard wrong!
So the overall attraction between antimatter and matter will be more than tat between matter and matter separated at the same distance.
Right?
 
  • #5
The legend said:
So the overall attraction between antimatter and matter will be more than tat between matter and matter separated at the same distance.
Right?
When you say attraction are you talking about gravity , The attraction between a proton
and an anti-proton would be the same as the G attraction between two protons ,
And like the anti-particle of the electron is the positron , it has the same weight as the electron but opposite in charge .
 
  • #6
I agree with everything that is said here, but I want to point out that this question has not yet been experimentally tested. While most physicists believe on theoretical grounds that antimatter will react in a gravitational field the same way as matter, it would be nice to have an experimental test. People are actively working on cooling antimatter to the point where the rate at which it falls in the Earth's gravity field can be measured, to verify that it falls at the same rate as matter. With the recent hints that neutrinos and anti-neutrinos have different oscillation rates, and the poor understanding of what led to the matter/antimatter asymmetry in the current universe, it looks like there are things here that we don't yet fully understand.
 

1. What is gravitation and antimatter?

Gravitation refers to the force of attraction between objects with mass, while antimatter refers to particles that have the same mass as regular matter but have opposite charge.

2. How does gravitation affect antimatter?

According to the theory of general relativity, all objects with mass are affected by the force of gravitation, including antimatter. This means that antimatter will also experience the force of gravitation and be pulled towards other objects with mass.

3. What is the relationship between gravitation and antimatter?

The relationship between gravitation and antimatter is the same as the relationship between gravitation and regular matter. Both matter and antimatter are affected by the force of gravitation and can interact with each other through this force.

4. Can gravitation be used to control or manipulate antimatter?

While the force of gravitation can affect and attract antimatter, it is currently not possible to control or manipulate antimatter using gravitation. This is because antimatter is extremely rare and difficult to produce, and it would require a large amount of antimatter to be able to manipulate it using gravitation.

5. Is antimatter affected by gravity the same way as regular matter?

Yes, according to the theory of general relativity, antimatter is affected by the force of gravitation in the same way as regular matter. However, due to the scarcity of antimatter, it is difficult to conduct experiments to confirm this theory.

Similar threads

Predictions for antimatter are weird
    • Other Physics Topics
Replies
1
Views
1K
B How to annihilate black holes?
    • Other Physics Topics
Replies
6
Views
6K
B Matter-antimatter asymmetry - a simple explanation?
    • Cosmology
Replies
12
Views
1K
I Antimatter-matter asymmetry, Law of charge
    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
8
Views
1K
What happens when a large amount of antimatter gets in contact with matter ?
    • Other Physics Topics
Replies
10
Views
3K
B Why does matter always escape while antimatter falls into black holes?
    • Special and General Relativity
Replies
14
Views
3K
I Exploring Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry in the Universe
    • High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics
Replies
1
Views
1K
My inspirational epic -- Enjoy, correct and criticize to your heart's content
    • Sci-Fi Writing and World Building
Replies
3
Views
1K
B Why exactly do we need the gravitational constant?
    • Other Physics Topics
Replies
11
Views
2K
I Exploring the Connection Between Dark Matter and Antimatter in the Universe
    • Cosmology
Replies
11
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top