Antimatter and matter undergo a process known as "annihilation," resulting in the creation of other particles and electromagnetic radiation, rather than simply ceasing to exist. This process adheres to the law of conservation of energy, as energy and mass are conserved through the transformation into new particles and radiation. A common misconception is that antimatter consists of negative mass, which is incorrect. The phenomenon of pair production allows photons to convert back into matter under specific conditions, such as the presence of a heavy nucleus.
PREREQUISITESPhysicists, students of particle physics, and anyone interested in the fundamental concepts of antimatter and energy conservation.
Lunct said:Antimatter and matter cancel each other out.
Lunct said:Does this go against the law of the conservation of energy?
I think I understand, the particles turn into energy, and the amount of energy is in accordance the equation E=mc^2.sophiecentaur said:You would first have to learn what is meant by Antimatter. For instance, it does not consist of Negative Mass (that's a popular misconception).
As usual, Wiki, although not a definitive source, can be a good place to start. You should read that link.
Pop science has to over simplify everything...Drakkith said:I wouldn't say that they "cancel each other out". The process is called "annihilation", and always results in the creation of other particles and/or EM radiation
makes sense...jtbell said:
Yes.Lunct said:but is it possible for photons to turn back into matter?
but wouldn't the positron and electron want to collide together as they have opposite charges and annihilate?Nugatory said:Yes.
Google for "pair production" - a sufficiently energetic photon in the vicinity of a heavy nucleus can turn into an electron-positron pair.
(The heavy nucleus is needed because without it there's no way of conserving both energy and momentum).
Not if they have sufficient resulting Kinetic Energy to take them apart ( aka Escape Velocity).Lunct said:but wouldn't the positron and electron want to collide together as they have opposite charges and annihilate?
They might, and then you get a pair of photons out. That case looks from the outside as if the nucleus absorbed the incoming photon and immediately emitted two less energetic photons. However, if the electron and positron have enough kinetic energy (the incoming photon has substantially more than two electron masses worth of energy, by ##E=mc^2##) then the two particles will fly apart more quickly than the attractive force can pull them together.Lunct said:but wouldn't the positron and electron want to collide together as they have opposite charges and annihilate?
makes sense, you are very good at explaining things.Nugatory said:They might, and then you get a pair of photons out. That case looks from the outside as if the nucleus absorbed the incoming photon and immediately emitted two less energetic photons. However, if the electron and positron have enough kinetic energy (the incoming photon has substantially more than two electron masses worth of energy, by ##E=mc^2##) then the two particles will fly apart more quickly than the attractive force can pull them together.