Antimatter

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Antimatter

• Matter-Antimatter Propulsion Theory
  

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What Antimatter is

• Antimatter was predicted in 1929 (4)
• Antihydrogen produced in 1999
• Antimatter is composed of the oppositely charged
  sub particles of most atoms
• Opposite of the electron is the positron
  (positive charge)
• Opposite of the proton is the antiproton
  (negative charge)
• Opposite of the neutron is the antineutron

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How Antimatter is Made

• Particles of most atoms are accelerated to very
  high speeds
• The particles are aimed and allowed to impact on
  a target (tungsten)
• The kinetic energy caused by acceleration is
  converted into gamma radiation, positrons and
  antiprotons (4)

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How Expensive is Antimatter?

• Antimatter is the most expensive substance on
  earth (6)
• 62.5 trillion U.S. dollars per gram a year (6)

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How Antimatter is Stored and its Expense

• Antiprotons can be controlled in magnetic fields
  (4)
• One method for antiproton storage is the Penning
  Trap
• Super cold, vacuumed, electromagnetic bottle in
  which charged particles of antimatter can be
  suspended (4)
• Capacity 1 x 1010 antiprotons/week (4)
• Developers believe that 1 x 1020 antiprotons must
  be stored

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Matter-Antimatter Reaction

• Matter comes in contact with antimatter
• They annihilate each other
• This annihilation creates very large amounts of
  energy
• Energy Produced 9 x 1016 J/Kg (4)
• This energy has the highest energy density of all
  known propellants
• Ten billion times more energy then
  hydrogen/oxygen (4)
• 300 times the fusion reaction at suns core

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Matter-Antimatter Propulsion Theory

• Scientists and Physicists want to harness this
  created energy
• Proton-Antiproton reaction can be controlled by
  magnetism
• Beam Core - Direct one to one annihilation,
  magnetic fields focus the energetic charged pions
  that are used directly as the exhausted
  propellant mass. These pions travel close to
  speed of light so the specific impulse could be
  greater than 10,000,000 seconds

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Source List

• 1 Smithsonian/NASA ADS Physics Abstract Service,
  Cassenti, Brice N.
• Mannheim, Philip D. Gould, Phillip L.
• http//adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1993jpmc.confQ...
  .C
• 2 KRQE News 13, NM Scientists try to harness
  antimatter
• http//www.krqe.com/video/expanded.asp?ID4573
• 3 The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy,
  and Spaceflight. Title
• Antimatter Propulsion
• http//www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/ant
  imatterprop.html
• 4 The SpaceSite.com, Antimatter Propulsion
  Future Space Propulsion Systems
• http//www.thespacesite.com/space_antimatter_pr
  opulsion.html
• National and Aeronautics Space Administration,
  New and Improved Antimatter
• 5 Spaceships for Mars Missions
• http//www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/m
  mb/antimatter_spaceship_prt.htm
• 6 Science at Nasa, Reaching for the Stars
• http//science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/prop1
  2apr99_1.htm