Antimatter, simply, is matter with its electrical charge reversed. There are several theories surrounding this mysterious energy particle, some even claiming that it led to the creation of the universe.
In 1812, Physicists Albert Einstein and Otto Stern cracked the code of the antimatter through experimentation and calculations, leading to a new concept – that energy does not come from some definite place or source, but rather from interaction with other matter.
The top 5 brain-tickling facts about antimatter are as follows:
Theories claim that it was the big bang that might have created matter and antimatter – in equal proportions. The interaction of matter and anti-particles tends to destroy everything around, and the only thing left is energy. However, if this theory was true, none of us would exist. Scientists believe that at the end of the big bang, we were left with an extra matter particle for every matter–antimatter interaction, and this asymmetry triggered our existence.
There is evidence that a banana can produce one positron every 75 minutes – positron being the anti-particles of an electron. This phenomenon occurs due to the decay of potassium-40 decay, which splits out a positron occasionally. The cosmic rays entering the earth's atmosphere are also observed to be bringing down extremely small amounts of antimatter in the form of an energy particle shower. A few physicists have also witnessed the formation of antimatter particles above areas experiencing thunderstorms.
To conduct further studies on antimatter, scientists needed to prevent the interactions of antimatter with matter, and hence antimatter traps were invented. Devices like "Penning Trap" and "Loffe traps" use varying electric and magnetic fields to keep the particles from spiralling inside the device. The magnetic field of the earth also acts as a trap for antimatter.
Antimatter is used in PET (positron emission tomography) scans to create high-resolution images of a human body. The positron-emitting radioactive isotopes (like the ones found in bananas) are mixed with substances such as glucose that are broken down naturally by the body. When this particular mixture reaches the bloodstream, they are finally broken down, releasing positrons that interact with electrons in the body. These produce gamma rays that are used to construct images.
The interaction of matter and antimatter can create a huge amount of energy. It is believed that a gram of antimatter can cause an explosion equivalent to that of a nuclear bomb. The total antimatter created by scientists weighs about 18 nanograms. Places like Fermilab's Tevatron particle accelerator, CERN, and DESY have produced antimatter in the past.
