Antimatter research

A recent development in nuclear medicine that illustrates how advances in basic research are transformed into practical applications is positron emission tomography or PET. PET creates a three-dimensional image of a body part using positron emitting isotopes. Positrons, positively charged electrons, are a form of antimatter. Antimatter consists of particles that have the same mass as ordinary matter, but differ in charge or some other property. For example, antipro-... 

Sufficient atomic particle research has been accomplished to warrant discussion of possible methods of applying energy available from particle mass annihilation to rocket propulsion. Complete conversion of matter to energy would allow exhaust velocities near that of light to be obtained from a propulsion device. Antimatter, by definition is matter made up of antiparticles, such as antineutrons, negatrons (antiprotons), and positrons (anheledrons). An annihilation property is known to exist between particles with one particle termed the anhparticle of the other. 

Before any form of antimatter rocket can exist, a lightweight method must be developed for producing antiparticles at a flow rate of grains/second in contrast with the few dozen of antiparlicles produced in research laboratory generators. Also, a practical storage or containment method must arise inasmuch as antiparticles explode violently upon contact with normal matter. Reference 5 gives a performance estimate of an Ip of 3.06 x 10 seconds for a rocket propelled vehicle with a thrust/weight ratio of 10 1... 

A survey of the issues and incentives for research on antimatter is given. Some applications of atomic and molecular theory are discussed in the context of the current search for antimatter in outer space, the ongoing efforts to breed antihydrogen in the laboratory, and the forthcoming experiments with cold antihydrogen. 

Antimatter was first produced at the European research centre CERN, near Geneva, in 1995 by interaction of antiprotons with a beam of Xe atoms. The antihydrogen atoms p"e+ disappeared quickly after a short lifetime of about 30 ns by annihilation and liberation of large amounts of energy. 

Indeed, what is needed is a vision on a long term basis. The ideas proposed here, the verification of which will need the commitment for 2-4 decades of research, could be such a vision with considerable attraction for the best young physicists. The new dimensions of the periodic system made of hyper- and antimatter cannot be examined in the "stand-by" mode at CERN (Geneva) a dedicated facility is nec-... 

The author acknowledges the excellent hospitaUty extended by Winthrop Prof J.F. Williams, Nodal Director, ARC Center of Excellence, Center for Antimatter-Matter Studies, School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Australia, where most of this chapter was written while working as Research Professor. The author also thanks the University of Mysore for allowing his research to be carried out at UWA, and his research students for helping to compile and calculate the data presented in this chapter. 

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