Antimatter atom trapped for first time, say scientists

[cpmman]

A report from the BBC tells us antihydrogen has been held for 2/10ths sec.

What do you think this may mean for us in terms of power generation or other new technologies?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11773791

[czr114]

Antimatter isn't a source of energy. It may be able to provide energy storage, at best.

Long term, hopefully we'll get neat fuel cells currently confined to the world of sci-fi. That could be an enormous boost to all sorts of mobile transport, provided they find an efficient and safe way to generate and store the stuff.

[KiwiNZ]

Antimatter is a source of energy but not a viable source.

[czr114]

Antimatter is not a source of energy unless we collect it in its raw state, which doesn't happen around this part of the universe, or any other part we know of at this moment. x J of antimatter can only be created by > x J from a primary energy source.

[KiwiNZ]

It's still a theoretical source of energy.

[Spr0k3t]

As others have said, antimatter is not a containable source in its raw element. The collision of antimatter with matter of any element is doomed in this plain of existance. Areas where antimatter thrives would be within the belly of a black whole just beyond the event-horizon. Though I'm not a physics theorist, only going by what I've read and seen within a handful of documentaries and scientific studies. If the containment was consistent, the energy harnessed from the antimatter could be similar to the energy put in to capturing it. Nevertheless, still an interesting thought, so thanks for posting.

[handy]

"Angels & Demons"...

Neat name eh?

[Oxwivi]

Antimatter, as an energy source, would be viable with better technology for harvesting radiation.

[cpmman]

Newton's mechanical universe was supplanted by quantum theories last century. The change came about through more accurate methods of observation. The better observation of a little understood phenomenon such as antimatter is exciting at least.

Energy production and/or gathering has frequently been the result of mankind's ingenuity in exploiting differences (in pressure, temperature, attraction etc.). Can there be anything more different than matter and antimatter?

Surely better observation of phenomena which are imperfectly described in current "physics" puts energy release in the high values of probability.

[Christian Knudsen]

It's getting harder and harder for me to separate science-fiction from science-fact...

[Johnsie]

They sure are spending alot of money on CERN. I wonder why it's getting so much money. Conspiracy perhaps?? ;-)

[Paqman]

I wonder why it's getting so much money.

Because it has a phenomenal track record for creating and discovering awesome stuff. Such as the World Wide Web.

[TNT1]

Because it has a phenomenal track record for creating and discovering awesome stuff. Such as the World Wide Web.

CERN invented the www?

[t0p]

CERN invented the www?

Yes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_wide_web).

[TNT1]

Yes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_wide_web).

Oh, I always thought that although Berners-Lee was working there at the time, that it was not a CERN sponsored initiative. You learn something new every other day.

[ubunterooster]

It's getting harder and harder for me to separate science-fiction from science-fact...
Most certainly agreed

[whiskeylover]

I always add a little anti matter to my whiskey.

[3Miro]

It's getting harder and harder for me to separate science-fiction from science-fact...

Good science fiction always has strong grounding in science facts.

[Oxwivi]

good science fiction always has strong grounding in science facts.
+1

[drawkcab]

were any dilithium crystals involved?

[ubunterooster]

were any dilithium crystals involved?
:lolflag:

[ssam]

Antimatter is a source of energy but not a viable source.

like batteries are a source of energy. it takes a lot more to make them than you get out. but if you found a large source of batteries (not your local maplin) then you are sorted.

if there were large sources of antimatter anywhere nearby we would probably know about it (from the inhalation radiation where it met normal matter). astronomers are looking for this, but have not seen it.

i am hoping they answer this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_interaction_of_antimatter

[donkyhotay]

It's potentially possible to use antimatter as a rather inefficient fuel source due to the fact that for every gram of antimatter you destroy you get two grams worth of energy out of it (one for the antimatter, one for the matter). Converting energy forms always results in a little waste which is why it isn't efficient and ultimately a net loss. Theoretically if the cost of converting a gram of matter to antimatter cost less then twice the amount of energy in the antimatter you would still see a profit because while inefficient you would get it back using it to unlock the energy trapped in regular matter. The problem is it currently costs WAY more then twice the energy you get from antimatter but that theoretically could be worked out by experimenting and finding more efficient ways of converting matter to antimatter. The other issue is that with the methods we currently use to create antimatter, 50% of the time we get regular matter instead. This means regardless of what we do with our current machines we have an immediate 50% loss of what we try to create. We pay for 1G of antimatter and get .5G of antimatter which only gives us 1G of power. Subtract cost of conversion and we have a net loss. But if we could resolve that we would get a net gain. Don't know how to resolve that without some wierd funky quantum chance manipulation. But if we could it would provide us with a very clean power source though it would be highly inefficient and we would (in the long-term) run out of matter to "burn".

[The Real Dave]

Personally, I reckon nuclear fusion would be a much more economically viable method of energy production, especially if we could achieve a chain reaction, where two beta particles bond, giving energy and a lithium ion. That ion continues to fuse with another, and another.


Come to think of it, that could be incredibly dangerous >.<




Antimatter was until fairly recently considered to be on the verge of science, so does anyone else here watch Fringe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_%28TV_series%29)?

[Gremlinzzz]

Antimatter cant be controlled last time someone tried' well lets just say they don't matter any more!

[Mahngiel]

Yes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_wide_web).

I thought Al Gore invented the internet... :popcorn:

[madhi19]

Call me back when somebody fold space!

[MasterNetra]

were any dilithium crystals involved?
Nope, I ate them before they could be used.


Call me back when somebody fold space!

I fold laundry which takes up and has space in it. Doe that count? I mean same difference right? :P

[3rdalbum]

Lasers, when first invented, were a technology without an application. "We can use them as a weapon", they said. But lasers became useful eventually.

Antimatter is a substance without an application, but when a purpose is found for the stuff, that's when it will be really exciting. And we will use Antimatter for power generation as little as we use lasers as weapons.

[Christian Knudsen]

Good science fiction always has strong grounding in science facts.

Of course. I just meant that science-fact seems to be catching up with science-fiction.

[ssam]

Lasers, when first invented, were a technology without an application. "We can use them as a weapon", they said. But lasers became useful eventually.

Antimatter is a substance without an application, but when a purpose is found for the stuff, that's when it will be really exciting. And we will use Antimatter for power generation as little as we use lasers as weapons.

+1 (lets hope its not weapons

you could probably count PET scanners as a use for anti-matter

[Oxwivi]

If it's a weapon you want, it'll take a long time, a really long time to be able to develop a technology to suspend in a fast moving container.

[alexfish]

+1 (lets hope its not weapons

you could probably count PET scanners as a use for anti-matter
If all history repeats it self

it will be a gun or a bomb

to use

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

HOW TO USE A BIG BANG GUN

1. unpack contents ( gun . battery and charger )

2. connect charger to nearest Neuclear Power Station

3. connect charger to battery ( stand back. just in case )

4. Wait till led turns to green

5. point gun well away from your self .insert battery into Gun

6. test gun. point towards the sun.press fire button

7. remove battery and recharge

(f*** me who put the lights out )

wont be big bang your dead

it will be big bang your gone somewhere including your house

[NCLI]

It's getting harder and harder for me to separate science-fiction from science-fact...
Anti-matter has been considered "science-fact" for years, it's just that we haven't been able to observe it for very long up until this point. ;)

I thought Al Gore invented the internet... :popcorn:
No, but he did take the initiative in allocating funding to the project, which is also all he ever claimed to have done (http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp).

I'm so tired of that myth :(