Can Matter Become a Viable Energy Source?

[Microburst]

Just curious ...

I am not a physics student but was just wondering, how much research is being done on the most abundant source of energy on our planet, ‘matter’ that is. Hydrocarbons are at midway point, energy consumption doesn’t want to slowdown as more nations are modernizing / industrializing not to mention it’s a one time harvest. Why not get energy out of matter; I am not talking about Nuclear reactors, I am talking about matter antimatter reactors, do we have the technology to build them does anyone know?

 

[Grogs]

I am not a physics student but was just wondering, how much research is being done on the most abundant source of energy on our planet, ‘matter’ that is. Hydrocarbons are at midway point, energy consumption doesn’t want to slowdown as more nations are modernizing / industrializing not to mention it’s a one time harvest. Why not get energy out of matter; I am not talking about Nuclear reactors, I am talking about matter antimatter reactors, do we have the technology to build them does anyone know?

Unless there's some secret cache of antimatter floating around the Solar System somewhere (extremely unlikely to the point of absurdity), antimatter is not a source of energy to us. We have to produce the antimatter to get any sizable quantity (micrograms). The process of producing the antimatter takes more energy than it would release in a reactor. Barring some great new physics breakthroughs on the horizon, the best future power prospect I know of is fusion using He-3 mined from the moon.