antimatter radiation
 

Will someone plese explain the whole antimatter radiation buisness? I mean, I get that Janeway thinks it's stupid, but why. Is there a reson or is it just for a stupid gag's sake

Oh, foo.

All it is is normal radiation (Alpha, beta, gamma); just translated over to it's antimatter opposites.

That, and antimatter radiation would destroy any matter it came in contact with. It wouldn't make you mutate, it would just kill you.

Ie:
Alpha = a helium nucleus (two protons and two neutrons), which would become two neutrons and two antiprotons.
Beta = electron, becomes a positron (one wonders why Data's head doesn't explode, but let's not dwell on that).
Gamma = a photon, which isn't matter and so doesn't have an antiparticle.

So basically, alpha and beta antimatter radiation would be made of antimatter, which would be anhiliated before it radiated anywhere, and in the process produce gamma rays, which would be indistinguishable from gamma rays from other sources (more or less).

Keep in mind that my degree is in chemistry and not particle physics, so I may be wrong on some points.

/Mr. Science

I think we have a new candidate for the rather neglected Jokes and References section.

More like an old candidate. Antimatter radiation is covered in the second one down. :)

The neutrons would become antineutrons, no? (I'm guessing this was a typo.)

Hm. So much for that idea. But I was thinking more along the lines of *why* antimatter radiation is impossible.

yeah, they would. Of course, the only way to prove they are anti-neutrons is by colliding them with real neutrons and watching the gamma rays it produces. Which means you have to score a direct hit with another atom's nucleus (and it can't be standard hydrogen, either). So, this one might reach you. If you were standing a couple of meters away and there weren't any particularly thick sheets of paper shielding you.

I really liked that TJI. Heh.

Oh, it's plenty possible, it just wouldn't last long. Anyway, you have a point. I'll add something about that to the existing entry.

(Welcome to the forum, ualleverybody! What's with the name?)

Surely it would in the esrevinU rorriM?

Nope. In the esrevinU rorriM, antimatter radiation would be noitadiar rettamitna, which doesn't mean anything.

No such animal. Antimatter is formed by reversing the charge on the particle (electron/positron). Neutrons are neutral, hence no charge, hence no reversal.

In mathematical terms, -0 = 0.

WOW did you just put your foot in your mouth. You dare cite math to me? Especially when I'm the one of us who did his homework before posting?

Ouch.

Would antiquarks be odos?

Yeah, Zeke's right on this one, Anitmatter isn't only a reversal of charge, that's just an effect of it. Additionally, the neutron is made of quarks (as Zeke's wikipedia link states) and the Anti-neutron is made of antiquarks, which all have an opposite charge, but since they still add up to zero overall, the antineutron still has 0 overall charge.


Oh, and a :D for Dereks comment, too. :)

mwahahaha :wink:

...

From the Desk of Sa'ar Chasm

Things to do:
Remove taste of shoe polish from tongue.
Return B.Sc.
Hide in cave for a decade or two.

Good ideas.