[thedoc (OP)]

E HISCOX  asked the Naked Scientists:
   
ANOTHER GREAT SHOW.

WHAT EXACTLY IS ANTI-MATTER?

REGARDS,

CATHERINE HISCOX,
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD,
HERTS.

What do you think?

[acsinuk]

Antimatter according to Wikipedia is composed of antiproton/neurton nucleus enclosed in a positron environment.  Wiki state that astronomers cant find any volumes of antimatter in the universe which is a great puzzle?
I think that the problem is that we cannot tell what is inside a star as we can only see the outside.  If we could see inside we may well find that it is totally made up of antimatter only and that any positive matter entering would annihilate as soon as it entered.  So the surface of the sun is the interface between real electron enclosed matter of the outside universe we live in and positron enclosed antimatter inside the stars.  In electrical terms the sun is a positive voltage source energy emitter and our planet is a negative voltage real matter attractor of that energy.
CliveS
CliveS

[imatfaal]

Clive - let's keep to established physics when answering a question on the main Q&A boards please.

Catherine - to start with we must say that matter is made up of small elementary particles.  These particles have characteristics like mass, electrical charge, and other slightly weirder properties - an examples would be the electron (low mass, -1 charge).  For every one of these particles there is an anti-particle which is basically the same but has the opposite charge - for the electron we have an antiparticle called the positron, for the proton you get the anti-proton.  If instead of using particles to build matter - you use antiparticles, all the physics still works but you get antimatter!

What is really exciting - and best watched from a distance  - is that if antimatter touches matter it explosively annihilates.  All the matter and antimatter becomes very hot and bright radiation - the most energetic radiation, what we call gamma rays.

[syhprum]

I do not think Neutrons could co exist with anti protons I may be wrong but are there not anti Neutrons or are uncharged particles their own anti particle.

[imatfaal]

I think clive meant anti-neutrons. 


A neutron is made up of 3 quarks - two down quarks and one up quark.  The up quark has a +2/3 charge and the down quarks have -1/3 charge each - making a total of zero / uncharged.  An anti-neutron is made up of two anti-down (+1/3 x 2)quarks and one anti-up quark (-2/3) still making a neutral particle - but very much an antiparticle which will annihilate with a neutron.

[acsinuk]

Imatfaal
Anti matter is made up of anti-protons in a positron enclosure which therefore appear neutral. The anti-neutron or negatron is enclosed but must not touch the positron enclosure or the anti-proton.   
The same occurs here on earth the so called neutron is not neutral at all but at the full negative electron potential but to the observer who can only touch the outside of the enclosure it appears neutral as there is no voltage difference between the enclosure and negatron/neutron.
CliveS

[imatfaal]

Clive - please keep the off-beat ideas to the New Theories forum.  Many thanks

[acsinuk]

Have posted 3D electromagnetic universe on the new theory board although magnoflux was originally blogged 12 years ago which is hardly new