What Exactly Is Antimatter?

Identical to matter in almost every way, antimatter is the opposite of the material that makes up the world around us. What makes antimatter distinct from regular matter is seen at the subatomic level - in the components that make up an atom. We know atoms are made of positive protons, negative electrons, and neutral neutrons. Antimatter is precisely the opposite. Positrons (the name for anti-electrons) have a positive charge, and antiprotons are all negative. Antineutrons, as you may have guessed, still have no charge. All of these antiparticles, however, have the same magnitude charge, the same mass, and several other qualities that are identical in every way but the sign in front of the number.

Not only are these antiparticles the opposites of our standard matter particles, they are also completely incapable of interacting with them. If a particle and its antimatter equivalent ever come into contact, they destroy each other completely, leaving only energy.

Where Does Antimatter Come From?

Although this stuff sounds like something a science fiction author would create in a story about the far reaches of the galaxy, antimatter can be, and is frequently, produced here on our very own home planet earth. Scientists around the world have been able to produce small amounts of antimatter in labs. In the natural world, positrons are created in several radioactive decay processes, and antiprotons occur naturally in cosmic rays drifting through the galaxy.

Why Learn About Antimatter?

The simplest reason to study antimatter is that it's awesome! It annihilates with regular matter, can be used to create huge explosions, and is frequently referenced on sci-fi shows. But as we become more adept at producing it, uses for it are being discovered. Antimatter can be used in medicine, as fuel for space travel, and, potentially, as a weapon. Before we get to where it comes from and what we can use it for, it makes sense to talk about how we found antimatter in the first place. After all, if it destroys itself on contact with regular matter, we couldn't have just stumbled upon it. Antimatter was found on paper long before it was found in the laboratory, and it would be unfair to talk about it without giving credit to those who found it.