Cern Scientists Trap First Antimatter Atoms

[Death916]

Soon they will destroy us with their accidental black hole

Anti matter annihilates not collapse into a black hole.

Sheesh! I was talking about how, in the past, less informed individuals had been so very concerned that CERN would cause a black hole and destroy the solar system. It was a whole "to do" when they were first getting started with their SuperCollider. I know that antimatter annihilates.......... Sheesh!

I am glad that you know that too... makes me feel like other people paid attention in their High School science classes.

My bad bro, I thought you were one of them. No hard feelings, I just try to help educate the uneducated whenever i can. Which apparently does not pertain to you.

 

[TermOfEndearment]

This is me posting as if I am an intelligent person who knows and cares about anti-matter, when in reality I was drawn in by the fact that something called anti-matter exists and hasn't completely obliterated human life already.

 

[spectrenihlus]

What's next anti-diamond engagement rings?

I say yes.

 

[SulfuricDonut]

Amazing stuff. But we should probably prepare for unforeseen consequences.

How are said consequences unforeseen once we start preparing for them?
(Unless you intentionally used that oxymoron in such a clever way, in which case... Bazinga)

 

[aakibar]

two words

black mesa

another few words
very cool shit, can i haz worm hole?

 

[aakibar]

Who knows what can be accomplished if we learn how to control the antimatter. Maybe nothing at all, maybe everything. Maybe even FTL!!!

hate to break your heart: Eienstien killed FTL e+-mc^2 sucks

 

[Wereduck]

... The biiiiiig problem with antimatter is that, even if we could make enough of the stuff, you would need to use more energy to create it than it would release in a reaction. It'd be great at storing enormous amounts of energy, but it'd waste an even more enormous amount of energy during production.

Glad that someone mentioned this glaring problem with the pervasive antimatter-as-holy-grail-powersource concept. The ability to store antimatter is, indeed, awesome but I'm keeping my champagne in the fridge until we've got a way to harvest the stuff instead of manufacturing it.
Also, is there any progress on the problem of trying to annihilate just a little antimatter at a time when you've got a fuel tank full of the stuff? Until we've got that part nailed down antimatter's only really good for packing ginormous explosions in tiny packages.

 

[Yoshisummons]

Wait, this thing works by using magnets, but then the anti-matter has a net charge so manipulation with magnets is kind of impossible. So how technically are they doing this? Using the magnets to keep the regular matter so the anti matter is isolated? Maybe its the sleep coming on but that doesn't add up. Any and all help/links will be appreciated.

 

[Jumplion]

[HEADING=2]It's time for Science, mothah-fuckahs!![/HEADING]​

Hell if I know how big of a breakthrough this is, but all those big sciency words must mean something.

And, because it's one cannot ask enough, will Jetpacks be possible with this? [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IWantMyJetPack]

 

[Double A]

Quick! Someone! Go check on the Pope!

OT: This is FREAKING AWESOME! I mean, despite the logic conundrum on how there can be antimatter "atoms," the building blocks of matter, this is just so cool!

 

[HentMas]

Cern Scientists Trap First Antimatter Atoms

The difficulty in hanging on to them lies in the fact that antimatter must be kept from coming in contact with any form of matter, or the antimatter and matter will annihilate each other in a burst of energy.

Am I the only one who let out a tiny eep when I read this?

i actually did the same thing, it just kind of turned a red little light with DANGER written around it

but it sounds kind of cool in the end

 

[mattaui]

I wish I could get excited about stuff like this, but having read how far away we are from even basic fusion as a power source, jumping right to AM seems like wishful thinking. The US won't even put serious investment into fission anymore.

I mean, great, I know this is a big scientific breakthrough and it's got to start somewhere, but when I hear people immediately jump to asking when the spaceships are going to be ready to go, I don't think there's the appropriate realization of how far away that is.

 

[Slenn]

Yayz! Wow! That's a huge leap from what we had before!

 

[Vigormortis]

When antimatter and matter come in contact, to use super-complicated science terms, they kerplode and convert their mass almost entirely into energy. The biiiiiig problem with antimatter is that, even if we could make enough of the stuff, you would need to use more energy to create it than it would release in a reaction. It'd be great at storing enormous amounts of energy, but it'd waste an even more enormous amount of energy during production.

Not necessarily. The problem with the creation of anti-matter is somewhat similar to the problem scientists are facing in trying to create fusion reactors. It's all a matter of efficiency. As you stated, currently it requires a vast amount of energy to create anti-matter. Think of it this way, for every few billion or so atoms the use in the process, one anti-matter atom may be created. If, however, a vastly more efficient process is discovered, then anti-matter becomes viable. Though, storage is still an issue.

To use even more super-complicated sciency terms, when anti-matter and matter meet each other, they annihilate each other, converting the vast majority of their mass into lots of energy Obviously, the big glowing problem with trying to store antimatter is that trying to prevent said anti-matter meeting normal matter is bloody hard, considering pretty much all of the Universe we know about is standard matter.

Not to discount your point, as you appear to be more informed than most, but I've come to understand that less than 40% of the known universe is comprised of what we'd consider "normal matter". Much of the universe is made up of dark matter and dark energy. Which, at present, are even stranger than anti-matter.

However, the big news I'm hoping to hear out of the LHC is the discovery of the Higgs Boson and/or the announcement that they've created micro black holes. The first is a theoretical particle believed to give all matter in the universe mass and the second would likely lead to the discovery of extra dimensions beyond the known four. (height, width, depth, and time) They're probably a L O N G time coming, but if either is discovered, it'll change just about everything we've come to understand about physics and the universe.

 

[Vigormortis]

I wish I could get excited about stuff like this, but having read how far away we are from even basic fusion as a power source, jumping right to AM seems like wishful thinking. The US won't even put serious investment into fission anymore.

I mean, great, I know this is a big scientific breakthrough and it's got to start somewhere, but when I hear people immediately jump to asking when the spaceships are going to be ready to go, I don't think there's the appropriate realization of how far away that is.

Well, I wouldn't exactly call fusion "basic". We've achieved fusion reactions, but it requires reactors that generate magnetic fields stronger than Earth generates and heats a cloud of hydrogen gas to hundreds of millions of degrees F. The trouble is they can't figure out a way to sustain it. If they could, it'd revolutionize our planet. Fusion plants could provide all the energy one person would need for forty years out a single tub's worth of water. And, the better part, it'd be safer than a fission plant. No chance of a melt down and no radioactive waste.

 

[superbatranger]

HNNNG reading this gets me so damn excit-Oh damn it, I gotta change my pants.

 

[The Rockerfly]

For some reason when I read the title I just imagine some scientists hiding in a bush while tying to trap anti matter in a cage

 

[2fish]

For some reason when I read the title I just imagine some scientists hiding in a bush while tying to trap anti matter in a cage

That would be a cool documentary. Shh! The wild antimatter approaches.

This is cool news let me know when they can hold on to it long enough to use it.