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garytse86
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is there any particular reason that antimatter will annhilate matter?
This question has been bothering me for a while...
thanx
This question has been bothering me for a while...
thanx
garytse86 said:is there any particular reason that antimatter will annhilate matter?
vanesch said:In QFT, this is mathematically as evident as the answer to the question:
"is there any particular reason that the sum of a number and its negative give 0".
If you want a more intuitive answer, in QFT (which is a relativistic theory, so treats space and time in the same way ; just as you can go to the left or the right, you can go to the future or the past), antimatter going "forward" in time is the same as matter going "backwards" in time. You can hence view the matter-anti matter interaction as matter that came from the past into the future, and at a certain point, went back into the past again. You, as an observer, who travels forward in time you will see the two entities of the same matter particle in your slice of time, one going forward (the so-called particle) and another one (which is in fact the same one) going backward in time, but which you observe as an antiparticle going forward.
When you advance your timeslice, you'll come to the point where the particle "bounced back in time", which you, going forward, interpret as an annihilation.
In order to "bounce back", the particle has to interact with something, usually the electromagnetic field (otherwise it just goes on straight forward). This interaction causes the EM field to be excited, and so the net result you observe is a particle and an antiparticle meeting, disappearing and two photons to appear. The process is called an annihilation reaction.
cheers,
Patrick.
Mk said:Therefore if I am correct in saying that you just said when they collide it was as if they never existed, Only photons and phonons emerge, since one's going backwards in time and one is going forwards than all information would be destroyed, thus going against quantum theory
Mk said:Therefore if I am correct in saying that you just said when they collide it was as if they never existed, Only photons and phonons emerge, since one's going backwards in time and one is going forwards than all information would be destroyed, thus going against quantum theory
ZapperZ said:Photons and phonons emerge out of matter-antimatter anihilation? When did this happen?
Photon is its own antimatter. Phonon is quantized lattice vibration modes in materials.
Mk said:Phonon is kind of a particle of heat right? and Photon is a particle light kind of right? When mattaer-antimater collision accurs than the product is light and heat.
Mk said:Well, the point was, heat and light emerge, and they don't exist after that? All information of the antimatter particle and the matter particle is lost?
Antimatter is a type of matter composed of antiparticles, which have the same mass as their corresponding particles but opposite charge. When antimatter comes into contact with matter, it undergoes a process called annihilation, releasing a large amount of energy. This is due to the fact that when a particle and its antiparticle collide, they are converted into energy according to Einstein's famous equation, E=mc^2.
Antimatter is important in scientific research because it allows us to better understand the fundamental laws of physics and the nature of the universe. The study of antimatter has led to advancements in areas such as particle physics, cosmology, and even medical imaging.
Antimatter is found in small amounts throughout the universe. It is produced in high-energy processes, such as particle collisions in particle accelerators or natural phenomena like lightning strikes. It can also be produced in small quantities through radioactive decay.
In small quantities, antimatter is not dangerous and poses no threat to humans. However, if a large amount of antimatter were to come into contact with matter, the resulting explosion would be extremely powerful. Luckily, antimatter is not found in large quantities in nature, and scientists take strict precautions when handling it in laboratory settings.
Yes, antimatter has the potential to be an incredibly efficient source of energy because of its ability to convert mass into energy. However, the process of creating and storing antimatter is extremely challenging and expensive, making it currently impractical for use as an energy source. Research is being conducted to find more efficient and cost-effective ways of producing and storing antimatter for potential future use.