How are the effects of antimatter on gravity different?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effects of antimatter on gravity compared to regular matter, exploring theoretical implications and current research efforts. It touches on concepts from general relativity and ongoing experimental investigations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested, Technical explanation, Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that the effects of antimatter on gravity are the same as those of regular matter, citing general relativity's focus on mass.
  • Others challenge this view by emphasizing that general relativity involves energy, momentum, and stress, not just mass.
  • A participant suggests that while it is believed that matter and antimatter behave similarly with respect to gravity, there is uncertainty, and ongoing research by the ALPHA team at CERN aims to investigate this further.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether antimatter behaves the same as matter under gravity, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in current understanding and the need for experimental validation regarding the gravitational behavior of antimatter.

rmoh13
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How are the effects of antimatter on gravity different than regular matter?
 
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They aren't. The formulas for general relativity doesn't care if something is matter or antimatter or not matter at all, just mass.
 
newjerseyrunner said:
They aren't. The formulas for general relativity doesn't care if something is matter or antimatter or not matter at all, just mass.
While the answer to the original question is correct, the assertion "just mass" is not. In GR, gravity couples ti energy, momentum and stress.
 
Isn't the correct answer to the question "we think that matter and anti-matter behave the same with respect to gravity, be we do not know for certain"? Part of the work of the ALPHA team at CERN is to probe anti-matter gravity http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2787
 

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