Antimatter

Collin Wilson

1/12/16

1st block

Antimatter

        Antimatter was something I thought was a novelty of science fiction, but now I understand that it is a real part of science and it proposes a few different questions pertaining from energy and the way matter interacts to the way our whole universe is structured.

        Antimatter can be used as a source for extreme amounts of energy. It can be used this way because whenever a particle of antimatter comes into contact with a normal particle of matter it spontaneously explodes and releases more energy than what is released in other natural processes such as fission or fusion. For example, just a milligram of antimatter could release energy equivalent to two tons of rocket fuel. The only problem with harnessing antimatters raw energy potential is its simple rarity in our universe. Antimatter occurs naturally in the form of solar flares. Furthermore, storing this antimatter would be a pain due to its nature of exploding whenever it comes into contact with matter. We would have to use strong electromagnetic fields to suspend the antimatter in the air and even with this process we would not be able to store any relative amount of antimatter.

        Some scientists say that there could possibly an anti-universe comprised solely of these antimatter particles. They theorize that we have so little antimatter in our universe because it is just trickles of particles from this anti-universe. If there was an anti-universe and it ever came into contact with our universe both would instantly be annihilated.

Antimatter definitely raises some key questions within the theoretical science fields that could change the way we think about energy, and the way we see the  universe as a whole. Say we were to find a way to mass produce antimatter and safely store it to be used as a reliable energy source; we would have a sure fire way to power the whole planet with relative ease. Also and finally, if there was an anti-universe, are there anti-humans, and do they theorize and wonder the same things about us, and if we were ever to confirm there is an anti-universe it would be our best bet to make sure at all costs we do not make contact with them.