Is antimatter a theory or does it exist?

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    Antimatter Theory
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the existence of antimatter, questioning whether it is merely a theoretical concept or a physical reality. Participants explore its properties, interactions with matter, and implications for the laws of physics, touching on both theoretical and experimental aspects.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that antimatter is not just a theory, citing experimental evidence from particle collisions at facilities like the Tevatron and the use of positron emission tomography (PET) in medical imaging.
  • Others define antimatter as particles with opposite charges to their matter counterparts, such as positrons and anti-protons, and discuss the implications of these definitions.
  • A viewpoint suggests that matter and antimatter are made of the same fundamental components but differ in charge configuration, allowing for interactions without significant force.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the concept of antimatter, questioning the nature of mass and energy conservation in the universe, and whether antimatter implies negative mass.
  • There are discussions about the annihilation of matter and antimatter upon contact, with some participants clarifying that this is why antimatter is rare in the universe.
  • Several participants debate the mass of photons, with conflicting claims about whether they are massless or possess an unobservably small mass.
  • Some participants highlight that charge is not the only distinguishing factor between matter and antimatter, noting that neutrons and anti-neutrons are both uncharged yet distinct.
  • There are references to the theoretical implications of quantum numbers and particle composition in defining antimatter.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the nature of antimatter, with multiple competing views and ongoing debates about its properties, existence, and implications for physics.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the mass of photons and the nature of antimatter interactions remain unresolved, with participants expressing differing beliefs and interpretations without definitive experimental evidence to support all assertions.

  • #31


Wow, first posted in 2008 and still going strong!
For what it's worth I found Feynman's lecture at the 1986 Dirac Memorial Lectures to be a good read on the subject, and explains nicely why there must be anti-particles.

Cheers
 
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  • #32


Antymattar said:
a group of antimatter that has an equaly negative mass
Antimatter and negative mass are not the same thing.
Antimatter has positive mass.

azzkika said:
So anti matter isn't really anti matter at all.
No, antimatter is antimatter. :wink:

azzkika said:
I wish science would not have such ambiguous misleading terms such as this.
Huh? It isn't misleading or ambiguous. It has the opposite charge that matter has, that's why its called antimatter.
 
  • #33


FtlIsAwesome said:
Antimatter and negative mass are not the same thing.
Antimatter has positive mass.


No, antimatter is antimatter. :wink:


Huh? It isn't misleading or ambiguous. It has the opposite charge that matter has, that's why its called antimatter.

Heh, I can see how its misleading. If you instead described matter as having 2 parts, and labeled them as matter A and matter B (corresponding to matter and antimatter respectively) I think less people would be confused. But it's not a big deal. Once you get into science at all you learn the differences.
 

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