So antimatter is pretty cool but why should I care? It’s pretty awesome to think that such a thing that can convert all its mass to energy exists but what purpose does that serve to me? While, it serves actually many different purposes. Antimatter can completely revolutionize many of the modern practices we have today and even create many new inventions which would propel humanity and mankind even higher up the technological ladder. In this next blog post we will examine the multitude of different ways in which antimatter research can be applied in the average person’s life.
Antimatter, a substance that annihilates matter, the very thing humans are composed of can surprisingly be used in a medical application. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans are utilize this chaotic substance in order to identify if there is something wrong with a patient’s brain. It is quite clever how they use this scientific advancement to detect afflictions in the brain. As mentioned in the previous blog post, positrons are the binary opposite of protons, which are present in every atom. During a PET scan the patients head will be enclosed inside of a tube, similar to that of a Computed Tomography (CT) scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Once the patient is inside this tube, positrons will be injected into the patient’s brain. All while this happening, doctors are examining gamma rays that will flash back when these positrons encounter electrons in the patient’s brain. These gamma ray flashes will orient themselves into a different pattern depending on whether or not the brain has an affliction. This early advancement proves that the world of medicine is ready for any type of scientific discovery.
Another more obvious application of antimatter can be seen in the construction of different objects. When something is constructed they run tests to determine the safety and reliability of structures and objects. The current solutions are already very effective in their detection of any possible weaknesses however, an improvement which would allow even more precise measurements would be openly welcomed. This is where antimatter comes into play; positrons can themselves find microscopically small atom-sized holes in the crystal lattice structures of metals. By finding these holes, albeit very small ones, weaknesses can be observed. Researchers can take note of where these positrons decide to settle and find any minuscule imperfections in the construction of such things. When it comes to safety, I do not think that anyone can argue that it hurts to be millimeter cautious. Here researchers can see that previously thought flawlessly safe metals were wreaking of microscopic weaknesses which could accumulate to have devastating consequences. Positron emitting isotopes are also being used to innovate in industries which can seem completely unrelated to physics. These tracer particles can be tagged in order to collect data. When researchers detect back-to-back emission of gamma rays that follow they can see any areas of improvement. This can lead to further dynamic studies of fluid flow which can help shape our understanding of what we believe to be true in the scientific world. These applications can even result in innovations in the food sector, perhaps leading to an even crunchier Cheetos due to the millimeter precision offered by antimatter. Overall, we can see that antimatter can serve an important purpose in engineering world as well.
Now I shall discuss a more science fiction application of antimatter. Albeit fictional, it is not reasonable to state that it lies outside of the domain of scientific possibility. The application I am speaking about is beam core propulsion. This rose to prominence in popular culture through the inclusion of such a thing in the film series Star Trek. The ship which the main characters use, the Starship Enterprise, is powered by beam core propulsion. If you are not familiar with the film then you must be wondering: what is beam core propulsion? While, it is a proposed form of propulsion which would see antimatter being used as the primary fuel. It is widely regarded as the key to intergalactic travel. As covered in our previous blog post, the annihilation of both antimatter and matter when contact occurs is the only possible instance of mass being completely converted to energy. This means that it would require a profoundly small amount of antimatter in order to achieve distances which would be classified as intergalactic, only relative to current fuel solutions of course. While the mass of antimatter needed may be quite little, it is important to note the cost to produce such a small mass of this substance. It is widely regarded that the cost of one kilogram of antimatter would be in the trillions of dollars. It is for this reason that further research in the production of this substance is required. Nonetheless, it quite interesting to discuss the importance and functionality of an idea like beam core propulsion. There are three different things to contribute to propulsion; exhaust speed; the initial mass devoted to fuel; and the configuration stages. The two latter aspects of propulsion can only be improved so finely that it would not make such a large impact on the propulsion of an objects. The exhaust speed however, is something that would make a large impact. Antimatter being used as a fuel would not only lower the mass devoted to fuel, but it would also increase the nozzle speed to what simulations currently predict to be around 0.69 times the speed of light. If this was achieved it would mean humans could get to the closest star system in approximately seven years. In order for this to be possible, a magnetic nozzle which would direct both the matter and antimatter into a collision would be required. This is because antimatter will destroy anything it comes into contact with, meaning it must be suspended by a magnetic field. Luckily, scientists within this field of research say that it may be possible to see this come to fruition within a decade. The main problem is not creating the fuel nor is the nozzle a problem, however it is proving very hard to store the antimatter for prolonged durations. While it may seem like it belongs in a science fiction movie, this technology may very well be one day powering the new generation of spacecraft tasked with taking man to galaxies far, far, and away.
Genius Hour - Antimatter 