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All About Antimatter

 

            Antimatter is the opposite of matter, yet it is identical to ordinary matter in nearly every way. The only aspect that differs the two is charge. Antiparticles always have the opposite charge as their corresponding particle. Paul A. M. Dirac, a physicist, formulated a theory before antimatter was discovered. "For every particle in the universe there would have to exist an antiparticle." The first antiparticle was discovered by a physicist named Carl Anderson four years after this theory was proposed. Anderson discovered the anti-electron. He called the anti-electrons "positrons" because the electron he discovered had a positive charge. After the discovery of the first antiparticle, scientists have detected that for every type of particle, there always exists its corresponding antiparticle.
             This article explained how much energy antimatter can create. When an antiparticle encounters its corresponding particle, they are both instantly destroyed. When this happens, the destruction of the two particles releases energy in the form of powerful gamma rays, which is the most dangerous type of radiation. Antimatter is considered to be the most powerful fuel in the universe; it is more powerful than nuclear energy. For example, if a human touches its antihuman, the amount of energy created when they are annihilated would be equivalent to 1,000 one-megaton nuclear bombs (Rohrig). Antimatter can be created by using particle accelerators. They involve accelerating particles to the speed of light and powerful electric fields. Since antimatter is extremely rare, particle accelerators can create only less than a nanogram of antimatter each year. Antimatter can be found on the sun, which is called a solar flare一an explosion on the sun that creates and destroys antimatter. Also, supernovae are exploding stars which can cause the emission of antimatter.
             I believe that "Antimatter" was certainly an informational article.


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