matter and anti matter
- Thread starter Kaziarl
- Start date
Anti-electrons (positrons) annihilate electrons and antiprotons annihilate protons. So yeah, you'd get an annihilation if antihydrogen came into contact with oxygen, but since oxygen has more of each you'd have matter left over.
Sure it could, as long as it existed in an anti-galaxy physically isolated from normal matter. In fact, if anti-matter is gravitationally repulsive to normal matter, anti-galaxies could easily exist in vast numbers, drawing anti-matter to themselves while repelling normal matter, never ever colliding or even approaching normal-matter galaxies.
Side note: an anti-deuterium atom encountering an oxygen atom would 1) annihilate itself into gamma ray photons and other particles instantly and 2) at the same time, instantly transmute that oxygen into an atom of ionized and probably superheated nitrogen (having obliterated one proton and one neutron).
Of course, if you simply bombarded oxygen with positrons, you would turn all of its electrons into gamma ray photons and you'd end up with an extremely energetic, radioactive, positively-charged plasma. For a long time I always assumed this was how warp cores worked, since the positive charge would produce ALOT of electric potential, plus it would give you some kind of warp plasma to shoot through the nacelles (with dilithium there just to soak up all those gamma rays and turn them into, I don't know, microwaves or something a little more useful for power creation). But I digress...
Side note: an anti-deuterium atom encountering an oxygen atom would 1) annihilate itself into gamma ray photons and other particles instantly and 2) at the same time, instantly transmute that oxygen into an atom of ionized and probably superheated nitrogen (having obliterated one proton and one neutron).
Of course, if you simply bombarded oxygen with positrons, you would turn all of its electrons into gamma ray photons and you'd end up with an extremely energetic, radioactive, positively-charged plasma. For a long time I always assumed this was how warp cores worked, since the positive charge would produce ALOT of electric potential, plus it would give you some kind of warp plasma to shoot through the nacelles (with dilithium there just to soak up all those gamma rays and turn them into, I don't know, microwaves or something a little more useful for power creation). But I digress...
I never really studied warp engines mechanics, but I always got the impression that Dilithium somehow focused/amplified the power. If it was simply to soak up gamma rays and what not, the loss of the dilithium shouldn't have effected the actual usability of the warp core as it did many times on the show.
Unless warp engines--or the power systems they serve--can't use gamma rays.
So, about the dilithium, I checked MA. They say it regulated the energy released from the matter/anti matter reaction.
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Dilithium
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Dilithium
It's not.
I recall the old TNG tech Manual went with the idea that dilithium is used to regulate the reaction, since it's molecular structure allows you to run little streams of matter and antimatter particles through it without touching dilithium itself. Which is kind of a neat idea, since we really do use garden-variety lithium as a sort of subatomic filter in experiments.
In all honesty, I doubt very many people really have!
So, really, whatever works for you... is all that matters.
Cheers,
-CM-
True, it's probably not even offered at Oxford. But being a writer (albeit a mediocre one) I like to stick with whats established. The question about the anti matter was both from a trek stand point, and also a curiosity as to what current physics says about it. I might pose a similar question about it in the Sci&Tech forum to see what gets said there.
In all honesty, I doubt very many people really have!
So, really, whatever works for you... is all that matters.
Cheers,
-CM-
We don't know ANYTHING about antimatter's gravitational processes, hence the reason I said "if"
Yeah, but matter and antimatter don't really need a regulator of that type to react: they annihilate ON CONTACT no matter what you do to them. What's needed is a way to control the product of that reaction, and I don't see dilitium--or any other material--allowing matter or antimatter to pass through it like that without some kind of interphase gizmo involved.
Yes, we most certainly do have a very good idea about it, which is why I said "It's not".
You and I both know we've never produced enough antimatter to take ANY meaningful measurements about the gravitational attraction of antimatter; the subject right now is entirely theoretical.
Fair enough, point taken and conceded.
I know they use deuterium for the "matter" component, which is an isotope of hydrogen that contains one proton and one neutron, but I don't think they have ever said what the composition of the anti-matter is...
More than likely, if they're shooting for a 'common' source of anti-matter in the galaxy, and it needs some instability for some reason, anti-dueterium is the logical choice. It would be the most plentiful anti-isotope in the universe.
As for dilithium, it doesn't hosue the anti-matter as I understand it, it channels the radiation from the annihilation into usable energy for the ship's engines. The anti-matter is stored in a magnetic containment field.
Interesting wiki regarding this debate.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that matter tastes great, but anti-matter will be less filling.
^^^ Well stated.
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