Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: neilep on 23/08/2012 17:50:31
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Why's that then ?
Why does matter colliding create anti-matter ?...How can something 'positive' create something ' negative just by banging into each other ?
Is 'positive' and ' negative' the wrong terminology ?
ta
neil
x
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http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/17/breakthrough-mysterious-antimatter-created-captured/
here's a good article on the subject..
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It is true that an anti-particle has the opposite electrical charge to it's corresponding particle; if a particle is electrically neutral (ie no charge), the corresponding antiparticle also is neutral.
But an anti-particle is opposite in all characteristics to its corresponding particle, not just electrical charge. When a particle annihilates with its antiparticle, all that is left is pure energy, usually in the form of gamma rays.
From pure energy, it is possible to create other particles, but the characteristics going into a reaction balance with the characteristics coming out of the reaction (with the exception of some interactions involving the weak nuclear force). So gamma rays can produce a particle/antiparticle pair.
One thing the LHC has is lots of energy, which is released as a shower of particles when two protons collide head-on at almost the speed of light. Amongst this deluge of particles are some anti-particles. But the total charge of all these particles is +2, the same as the charge on the two protons which originally collided.
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Thank you Emc2 and evan_au for your thoughts and linked info !
Fascinating !!..I'm learning stuff thanks to you !!
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One thing the LHC has is lots of energy, which is released as a shower of particles when two protons collide head-on at almost the speed of light. Amongst this deluge of particles are some anti-particles. But the total charge of all these particles is +2, the same as the charge on the two protons which originally collided.
If one starts with two protons +2 charge.
And forms one or more anti-protons (-1 charge)
Where does all of the positive charge go?
One couldn't release more protons (that is what is being destroyed).
One couldn't release electrons (they have a negative charge).
The only thing left is releasing several positrons.
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Thank you Emc2 and evan_au for your thoughts and linked info !
Fascinating !!..I'm learning stuff thanks to you !!
:D