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10.2.7
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Antimatter
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Post by
124027
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Post by
MyTie
Space has objects in it. Space is not "made up" of objects, though. There ARE voids in space though where there isn't matter. There are even voids here on earth were there isn't matter. Inside your very body, inside every atom, there is void.
This is true, but what does it have to do with using an antimatter generating device as a propellant through space?
Some dufus on page 1 was insisting that it couldn't be 'real' anti matter because everything is 'made up' of matter, even space. The point is that the antimater was created in a void, held in place by magnetic fields. I was just trying to clear up the misconception. That isn't working because everyone has their dunce hats on.
Post by
Adamsm
And yet, even in the 'vacuum held in place by magnetic fields' the antimatter still went pop as it hit the positive matter of our universe......there must have been something there for it to affect.
Again, from the article:
Researchers created 38 atoms of antihydrogen – more than ever has been produced at one time before and were able to keep the atoms stable enough to last one tenth of a second before they annihilated themselves (antimatter and matter destroy each other the moment they come into contact with each other). Since those first experiments, the team claims to have held antiatoms for even longer, though they weren't specific of the duration.
Post by
DarkOpeth
Space, particularly deep space, has a near perfect vacuum, which averages 1 hydrogen molecule per square foot-- and nothing else. In theory, Anti-matter propulsion could work, as the anti-matter would not come into contact with any matter, because it is not there.
Post by
124027
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Post by
Adamsm
Concept.
Imagine we can produce a huge amount of antimatter, say 1kg+.
Place this into a vacuum container for use in propulsion.
The antimatter reacts with the occasional passing atom producing tiny amounts of energy. Since matter can't get in or out of the magnetic field the antimatter is contained in, once the stray particles of matter have ceased we're left with pure stable antimatter perfectly stored.
Am I wrong anywhere here?
/shrug Way too early to tell. Of course, if the field was ever breached, there would go the ship...hypothetically.
Post by
124027
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Adamsm
No doubt. Problem is, the same could be said about nuclear or even conventional fuels. At least with antimatter there are less O rings to get too cold.
Right...well, maybe; or that one pound of antimatter could end up wiping out a large chunk of existence heh, well again, hypothetically, depending on how it reacts with the space around it; and what's there to 'catch'.
Post by
335633
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Post by
136555
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Post by
124027
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Post by
Orranis
Also, a single atom of antimatter intercepting a single atom of matter produced negligable amounts of energy as output, otherwise I'd be fairly certain we'd now be looking at a smoking hole where CERN used to be.
Actually, if one hydrogen atom is 1.67 x 10^-24 grams, and antimatter + matter 'splode at a 100% efficiency rate, then E=.00000000000000000000000167g * C^2 = 3.5873 megatons of TNT according to
this
calculator.
So no, it would hardly be negligible. It's that damn speed of light squared, just too freakin' high.
Seriously, I'm seeing a lot of Sci-Fi assumption posts here. I'm not gonna claim as a fourteen year old to know a crapload about anti-matter (Way too much for my age however), but even Wikipedia makes a lot of the posts look perty dumb.
Post by
138638
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335633
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Post by
288048
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Post by
124027
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Post by
MyTie
1 mol of Ethanol is worth 8000000000000 times more energy then one atom of antimatter
Uhm... hmmm.. based on how that article was worded, antimatter would yield 100% efficiency, and a thermo nuclear bomb yields 1% efficiency.
Post by
288048
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Post by
335633
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Post by
MyTie
When taken in kilogram quantities yes, it is a simply massive amount of energy, but what I was taking as the intent of the post was the immediate danger of anti matter, but frankly, we managed to make what was it 38 atoms of antihydrogen, that nets us the energy of 6x10^-12 mols of ethanol. Ethanol is not exactly the most dangerous of fuels.
If I took that post completely out of context I apologize.
1 mol of Ethanol is worth 8000000000000 times more energy then one atom of antimatter
Uhm... hmmm.. based on how that article was worded, antimatter would yield 100% efficiency, and a thermo nuclear bomb yields 1% efficiency.
Which is perfectly true, but 1 atom of hydrogen is nowhere near the quantity of 1 mol of Ethanol, I was using it as a comparison of energy.
edit: I fail at grammar
What if the anti-matter were an anti-ethanol instead of anti-hydrogen... or anti-plutonium. Imagine a nuclear bomb with 100% efficiency instead of just 1%.
Edit: not to mention, the complete abscene of any waste byproduct... unlimited power, no waste... sounds nice.
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