Anti-matter discovery before 1932?

In summary, the conversation is about the possibility that anti-matter was observed before its official discovery in 1932, but was not recognized as such. The individual is wondering if this is true and if there is any evidence of it in historical documents. They also mention a book that references two British experimenters who may have observed anti-matter before its discovery.
  • #1
Aidyan
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TL;DR Summary
A question of historical nature about the discovery of anti-matter
I once heard that anti-matter has been observed long before 1932 (the year of its official discovery) in cloud chamber tracks but was not recognized as such. If I remember well it frequently appeared in the photographs of cloud chambers with its characteristic pair production phenomenon but it was dismissed because nobody knew its meaning. However, despite searching for this I could not find any historical document confirming this. So, I'm wondering if this is a true story or is it me who has misunderstood this? If so, it would be nice to find out for the photographs of this before 1928. Can anyone help?
 
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  • #2
Aidyan said:
Summary:: A question of historical nature about the discovery of anti-matter

I once heard that anti-matter has been observed long before 1932 (the year of its official discovery) in cloud chamber tracks but was not recognized as such. If I remember well it frequently appeared in the photographs of cloud chambers with its characteristic pair production phenomenon but it was dismissed because nobody knew its meaning. However, despite searching for this I could not find any historical document confirming this. So, I'm wondering if this is a true story or is it me who has misunderstood this? If so, it would be nice to find out for the photographs of this before 1928. Can anyone help?
In the book Second Creation by Crease and Mann, they mention that two British experimenters were upset whe they realized that they had observed the position before Anderson and had even been told by Dirac what it could be but they had waited too long to make sure of their result. Although I don't know exactly when this happened. I would not be surprised if many people, once they knew about the discovery, went back and realized that tracks they had seen in photographs were left by positron.
The book gives the following references when mentioning the two experimenters:

Blackett and Occhialini, PRSA 139, no 839 (3 March 1933), p.699

and

Dirac, Development, op. cit. pp 59-60 (same journal as above, I guess Dirac mentions there that he had talked to these two experimenters)
 

1. What is anti-matter?

Anti-matter is a type of matter that has the same mass as regular matter, but with opposite charge. This means that for every particle of regular matter, there is an anti-particle with the same mass but with opposite charge.

2. When was anti-matter first discovered?

The concept of anti-matter was first proposed by physicist Paul Dirac in 1928. However, it wasn't until 1932 that physicist Carl Anderson discovered the first evidence of anti-matter in the form of a positively charged electron, or positron.

3. How was anti-matter discovered before 1932?

Before 1932, anti-matter was only a theoretical concept. Scientists had predicted its existence through mathematical equations, but there was no physical evidence to support it. It wasn't until Anderson's discovery of the positron that anti-matter was confirmed to exist.

4. What impact did the discovery of anti-matter have on the scientific community?

The discovery of anti-matter was a major breakthrough in the field of physics. It provided evidence for the validity of Dirac's equations and opened up new possibilities for understanding the fundamental laws of the universe. It also led to further research and experiments in the study of anti-matter, which continues to this day.

5. How is anti-matter being studied and used today?

Scientists are currently studying anti-matter in particle accelerators to better understand its properties and behavior. Anti-matter is also being used in medical imaging and cancer treatment, as well as in the development of new energy sources. However, the production and storage of anti-matter is still a challenging and expensive process, limiting its practical applications.

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