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In Our Time

Antimatter

Oct 4, 2007
British physicist Paul Dirac predicted antimatter with his beautiful equations, leading to the discovery of positrons. Despite being mundane in physics, antimatter is used in labs and hospitals. The mystery remains why there isn't more antimatter in the universe, challenging scientists to develop new physics. Guests delve into matter structure, antimatter properties, practical applications, and the interplay between theory and experiment in physics.
28:24

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Antimatter particles mirror matter counterparts in mass, size, and charge, differing in polarity and spin.
  • Universe's significant matter-antimatter asymmetry poses mysteries, with labs creating antimatter but facing containment challenges.

Deep dives

Understanding Antimatter and Its Properties

Antimatter particles mirror their matter counterparts in many ways, with similar mass, size, and electric charge. However, the key distinction is in the charge polarity, with an electron having a negative charge while its antimatter counterpart, the positron, has a positive charge. This duality extends to the opposite directions of spin as well, defining a fundamental but subtle difference in behavior between matter and antimatter.

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