CERN Scientists Capture Antimatter For Record 16 Minutes

Earnest Cavalli

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Jun 19, 2008
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CERN Scientists Capture Antimatter For Record 16 Minutes



Scientists at Switzerland's CERN laboratories have made history by containing antimatter particles for over 16 minutes.

Though it lacks the cataclysmic gravitas of spawning a world-ending black hole, this new record is a huge leap beyond the researchers' previous best, in which the group captured antimatter particles for a mere fraction of a second.

Nabbing new high scores is a joy, but the real benefit here is in how the sustained antimatter will allow for previously unimaginable research. Specifically, CERN scientists hope the collection of antiatoms will offer a glimpse into a still-theoretical phenomena known as CPT symmetry.

Roughly speaking, CPT is the idea that "a particle moving forward through time in our universe should be indistinguishable from an antiparticle moving backwards through time in a mirror universe." According to our best guesses, CPT is a constant throughout our reality, but since we've never had a chance to observe antimatter in detail, the concept is more theory than proven fact.

"Any hint of CPT symmetry breaking would require a serious rethink of our understanding of nature," wrote CERN spokesman Jeffrey Hangst in the experiment's official press release.

Additionally, researchers are hopeful that the trapped antimatter will offer a glimpse at the structure of antielements.

"If you hit the trapped antihydrogen atoms with just the right microwave frequency, they will escape from the trap, and we can detect the annihilation -- even for just a single atom," Hangst adds. "This would provide the first ever look inside the structure of antihydrogen -- element number 1 on the anti-periodic table."

Forgetting for a moment that "anti-periodic table" sounds like a minor plotline from a Grant Morrison Justice League International comic, this breakthrough has potentially reality-changing consequences -- especially given mankind's proclivity for applying new technology toward ever-better weapons of destruction.

My only hope is that the idea of an antimatter bomb proves too existentially horrifying for anyone to ever actually build such a thing.

Then again, I imagine turn Nagasaki into radioactive glass [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1922/bohr-bio.html].

Source: The Telegraph [http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2011/PR05.11E.html]

(Edited to exclude incredibly awesome description of the destructive potential of antimatter weaponry which would require philosophical parity unheard of on the 'net.)

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JS ibanez

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Jan 12, 2010
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This is exciting! Might see some major changes in my lifetime. Its a wonder were still all alive though
 

Buizel91

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Aug 25, 2008
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And so it begins....

First Nuclear weapons, now Anit-Material Weapons....

God help us all xD

On a serious note....what is Anti-Matter o_O
 

Hungry Donner

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Mar 19, 2009
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arc1991 said:
what is Anti-Matter o_O
It's sort of negative matter; if you combine a particle and it's anti-matter equivalent (electron and anti-electron, proton and anti-proton) the net result is 0 matter. A nuclear bomb sends out high energy particles and waves and this disrupts matter, anti-matter annihilates it.

The process of annihilation releases a lot of energy so theoretically matter/anti-matter reactions could be used as an incredible power source, but for now the process of creating an containing anti-matter is prohibitive.
 

Owlslayer

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Cool.
I wonder what will this lead to? At least I hope it won't be a new weapon or something. But i may just have read a bit too much Dan Brown...
 
Feb 13, 2008
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I will admit that the possibility of a resonance cascade senario is extremely unlikely, but why do we have to wear these ridiculous ties?
 

BehattedWanderer

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Jun 24, 2009
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16 Minutes? Wow. Go CERN. Glad to see that some of the research is coming to light. Hope more comes yet.

Though, seeing as it takes the financial backing of many nations and a facility that is the size of a small nation, it's not like we really need to worry about someone in their garage making antimaterial bombs yet.
 

McMullen

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Earnest Cavalli said:
the concept is more theory than proven fact.
There are very few, if any, concepts in science that can ever be called proven facts. "Fact" or "Law" are terms usually reserved for observations, not concepts. The media needs to learn the difference between hypotheses, theories, and laws, because the confusion between them is one of the ways that manipulative people misrepresent and falsely discredit science.

I know this is a pointless and futile argument to make but I would like there to be at least one journalist in my lifetime who actually takes the time to learn the first, most basic thing about science: the method and basic terms. Almost nobody ever does this and it's frustrating as hell, because it's part of the reason so few people even understand what science is, how it works, and that it is not just a bunch of guys sitting around making shit up, or some elitist conspiracy trying to bring about the apocalypse or new world order or whatever. And yes, even in a college town in the Western US, I hear more people talk about science as if it is one of those things instead of what it actually is.

Earnest Cavalli said:
My only hope is that the idea of an antimatter bomb (which could literally explode reality)...
On second thought, maybe it's best that you just don't report on science stories at all. You fail physics forever.
 

Waaghpowa

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Apr 13, 2010
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HankMan said:
Earnest Cavalli said:
My only hope is that the idea of an antimatter bomb (which could literally explode reality) proves too existentially horrifying for anyone to ever actually build such a thing.
I don't think you need to conCERN yourself over that possibility. It could explode reality but then again, the world could have ended on May 21. The odds of that happening are so small it really doesn't matter.
Dude, now you're just trying too hard :p

On topic: this is pretty cool, looking forward to more advances in my lifetime.
 

Johnny Impact

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
I will admit that the possibility of a resonance cascade senario is extremely unlikely, but why do we have to wear these ridiculous ties?
Ninja'd.

Antimatter is the way of the distant future. What we need right now is antistupid. Preferably in huge quantities before the few remaining smart people are overrun and humanity goes back to the caves.
 

Zechnophobe

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Feb 4, 2010
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McMullen said:
Earnest Cavalli said:
the concept is more theory than proven fact.
There are very few, if any, concepts in science that can ever be called proven facts. "Fact" or "Law" are terms usually reserved for observations, not concepts. The media needs to learn the difference between hypotheses, theories, and laws, because the confusion between them is one of the ways that manipulative people misrepresent and falsely discredit science.

I know this is a pointless and futile argument to make but I would like there to be at least one journalist in my lifetime who actually takes the time to learn the first, most basic thing about science: the method and basic terms. Almost nobody ever does this and it's frustrating as hell, because it's part of the reason so few people even understand what science is, how it works, and that it is not just a bunch of guys sitting around making shit up, or some elitist conspiracy trying to bring about the apocalypse or new world order or whatever. And yes, even in a college town in the Western US, I hear more people talk about science as if it is one of those things instead of what it actually is.
Just wanted to back my home-boy here up on this. The improper use of the term THEORY has been used as a strawman in many many debates.
 

Louzerman102

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arc1991 said:
On a serious note....what is Anti-Matter o_O
Anti-Matter is the exact opposite of matter. When matter and anti-matter combine they cancel out leaving no mass but releasing alot of energy.
 

Johnny Impact

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Hungry Donner said:
Ah, matter's goateed twin sticks around for nearly half an episode this time.
You, sir, have just made my day. [img:a-dozen-internets-for-you.jpg[/img]
 

Buizel91

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Aug 25, 2008
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Hungry Donner said:
arc1991 said:
what is Anti-Matter o_O
It's sort of negative matter; if you combine a particle and it's anti-matter equivalent (electron and anti-electron, proton and anti-proton) the net result is 0 matter. A nuclear bomb sends out high energy particles and waves and this disrupts matter, anti-matter annihilates it.

The process of annihilation releases a lot of energy so theoretically matter/anti-matter reactions could be used as an incredible power source, but for now the process of creating an containing anti-matter is prohibitive.
Louzerman102 said:
arc1991 said:
On a serious note....what is Anti-Matter o_O
Anti-Matter is the exact opposite of matter. When matter and anti-matter combine they cancel out leaving no mass but releasing alot of energy.
Oooh so it can be used as a new Energy source?

Well that's cool i suppose, but what's the cost...I don;t want my Car to crash and the explosion creates a Black Hole...
 

William MacKay

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pauloalbatross said:
Now to work out how to get it to power the starship Enterprise...
Michio Kaku did it. my physics teacher has one of his books in his classroom.
i find it hilarious that everyone was all 'holy shit black holes and shit?' and they did it and nobody realised.
not even the scientists...
 

Hungry Donner

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Mar 19, 2009
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McMullen said:
I know this is a pointless and futile argument to make but I would like there to be at least one journalist in my lifetime who actually takes the time to learn the first, most basic thing about science: the method and basic terms. Almost nobody ever does this and it's frustrating as hell, because it's part of the reason so few people even understand what science is, how it works, and that it is not just a bunch of guys sitting around making shit up, or some elitist conspiracy trying to bring about the apocalypse or new world order or whatever. And yes, even in a college town in the Western US, I hear more people talk about science as if it is one of those things instead of what it actually is.
I agree.

When reporting on a subject that you aren't very familiar with you really need to include a solid citation or two. The Escapist is good about this, many news outlets are not. If someone is reporting on paleontology and calls pterosaurs "dinosaurs," but then links to the journal article they're working off of, I'm happy to forgive the technical error. But if your news story is supposed to stand by itself it shouldn't have technical errors like this.