SEMINAR

ON
ANTIMATTER
By
Ranjith Nambiar
Roll no.41
INTRODUCTION
Antimatter is real.
Energy density of
chemical reaction is 110 J/kg.
nuclear fission is 810 J/kg.
nuclear fusion is 310 J/kg.
matter antimatter reaction is 910
16
J/kg.
Highest energy release per unit mass.
Complete conversion of mass into energy.

WHAT IS MATTER?
Everything around us.

Basic components:
electrons.
protons.
neutrons.
WHAT IS ANTIMATTER?
Opposite of normal matter.

Basic components are:
positrons.
antiprotons.
antineutrons.
HISTORY OF ANTIMATTER.
In 1928,Paul A.M.Dirac revised Einsteins
famous equation E=mc.
Diracs equation E=mc.
Positrons discovered by Carl Anderson in
1932.
Antiprotons discovered in 1955.
Antiatoms discovered in 1995 by CERN.
PRODUCTION OF ANTIMATTER.
Created from energy.
Protons are smashed into target.
Matter-antimatter particles are spontaneously
created.
Antiproton head towards the Antiproton
Decelerator.
ANTIPROTON DECCELERATOR (AD)
It consists of
vacuum tubes.
vacuum pumps.
magnets.
radiofrequency cavities.
high voltage instruments.
electronic circuits.

WORKING OF AD.
Antiproton have
energy spread.
transverse oscillations.
Focusing magnets.
Radiofrequency cavities decelerate the
antiproton.

AD EXPERIMENTS.
ASACUSA (Atomic Spectroscopy And Collision
Using Slow Antiprotons).
ATHENA (Antihydrogen Production and
Precision Experiments).
ATRAP (Cold Anti hydrogen for precise laser
Spectroscopy).
STORAGE.
Traps.
Appropriate
configuration of
electric and
magnetic fields.
Good vacuum.
ANTIMATTER IN PROPULSION
SYSTEM
Annihilation.

Newtonian rocket.

100 milligram for Space Shuttle.
ANTIMATTER PROPULSION
SYSTEMS.
Two choice of propulsion
1)Electron-positron annihilation.
produces high energy gamma rays.
impossible to control.
very dangerous.
2)Proton-antiproton annihilation.
produces charged particles.
mass left over after annihilation.


1)SOLID CORE.
Solid core heat exchanger.

Superheats hydrogen propellants.

Specific impulse:1000sec
2)GAS CORE.
Annihilation occurs in hydrogen propellant.

Particles controlled in magnetic field.

Loss in the form of gamma rays.

Specific impulse:2500sec
3)PLASMA CORE.
Annihilation of larger amount of antimatter.

Loss in the form of gamma rays.

Plasma is expelled to produce thrust.

Specific impulse between 5000 to 10000sec.
4)BEAM CORE.
Direct one to one
annihilation.

Used directly as the
exhausted propellant.

Specific
impulse:10,000,000sec
POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY
(PET) SCAN.
Positron incorporated in a special fluid
injected into the patient.
Annihilate with electrons.
Energy emerges as gamma rays.
PET radiograph reveals inner structure.
Widely used in brain scans.
ANTIMATTER DETONATION.
Output highly depends on regular matter
surrounding the bomb.
Gamma rays are absorbed.
Lose half their energy per 500 to 1000m of air
compared to 20cm of concrete.
Explosion would not cause much physical
damage.
No practical or destructive as conventional
nuclear weapons.
ANTIMATTER IN NATURE.
Matter & antimatter were created in gigantic
Big Bang.

Two possibilities:
1. Either antimatter completely disappeared.
2. Separated from each other.
ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER
High energy particle
detector.

Carried on Space
Shuttle.

In 2004,a new version of
experiment installed on
the International Space
Station.
PROBLEMS IN PRODUCTION.
Only 1 to 10 nano grams produced a year.

Most expensive substance on earth.
1 gram cost about $62.5 trillion.

So not economical using current technology.
PROBLEMS IN STORAGE.
Current trap can only store 10
10
antiproton for
one week.

Next stage an improvement to 10
12
antiproton
storage.

For complete antimatter propulsion, 10
20

antiprotons needed to be stored.

CONCLUSION
Due to the highest energy release per unit
mass of any known reaction we can say that
antimatter will be a future fuel but need a
reliable method of producing large amount of
it.
THANK YOU..