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Faradave
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"Antimatter": Property Or Label?
I am interested in learning whether a particle’s status as "matter" or "antimatter" is an independent property of that particle, a constellation of other properties or a (somewhat nonspecific) designation. Opinions are welcome if a definitive answer has not been established.
I understand that for elementary particles to annihilate on contact (or emerge from pair creation), they must be of identical mass, spin state and opposite charge [1] but I don’t believe this answers the question, in fact, I think it raises it.
1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiparticle
I am interested in learning whether a particle’s status as "matter" or "antimatter" is an independent property of that particle, a constellation of other properties or a (somewhat nonspecific) designation. Opinions are welcome if a definitive answer has not been established.
I understand that for elementary particles to annihilate on contact (or emerge from pair creation), they must be of identical mass, spin state and opposite charge [1] but I don’t believe this answers the question, in fact, I think it raises it.
1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiparticle