One step closer to capturing antimatter

[Norgy]

But can it be done economically? 

I would say so. Imagine you have a bunch of stuff that matters, like a small mole hill of unpaid bills. Release the antimatter, and it won't matter any more.

[lustindarkness]

Good ones PDH, BTW, who will volunteer to be the first one to change into Doc Manhattan?

[Neil]

Good ones PDH, BTW, who will volunteer to be the first one to change into Doc Manhattan?

No intrinsic fields are being subtracted.

[Razgovory]

What are the practical applications of antimatter?

I presume it would be the obvious: causing a reaction with matter to produce a release of energy.

But can it be done economically?  After all, positrons have very little mass.

I thought it took more energy to make then it would put out.

[lustindarkness]

What are the practical applications of antimatter?

I presume it would be the obvious: causing a reaction with matter to produce a release of energy.

But can it be done economically?  After all, positrons have very little mass.

I thought it took more energy to make then it would put out.

Sounds like women are made of anti-matter then.

[Valmy]

I thought it took more energy to make then it would put out.

Even if true if it can be captured and stored it may be useful for energy storage perhaps.  After all no energy storage method is 100% efficient.

[ulmont]

I thought it took more energy to make then it would put out.

Yes.  On the other hand, anti-matter is a hell of a battery.

[Razgovory]

Huh.  I looked this up.  Positrons seem to be just one form of anti-matter one that occurs naturally (though not on earth).  If they could  get it to produce the energy advertised then I can see how it would be handy.

[PDH]

But can it be done economically?  After all, positrons have very little mass.

Still, being multiplied by the speed of light squared means very little mass in can lead to rather big results...

[The Brain]

I thought it took more energy to make then it would put out.

Yes.  On the other hand, anti-matter is a hell of a battery.

Anti-matter is one hell of a drug.

[Neil]

But can it be done economically?  After all, positrons have very little mass.

Still, being multiplied by the speed of light squared means very little mass in can lead to rather big results...

To be sure.  But 160 femtojoules isn't so hot.  Even if you annihilate them ten trillion at a time, you're still going to produce enough energy to create a harmless puff.

Now, if they can derive a means of production for antiprotons, that might be interesting.

[citizen k]

from article:

In order to harness the energy of positrons, Weber listed three problems that must be overcome.
"We need to be able to generate many positrons; we need a vacuum container to store them in; and then we must convert their annihilation power into something that drives an engine or turns on the lights. Right now we are focusing on the storage problem."

[Siege]

What's the military potential of this?

[Barrister]

I thought it took more energy to make then it would put out.

Yes.  On the other hand, anti-matter is a hell of a battery.

Anti-matter is one hell of a drug.

It's more of an anti-drug, really.

[Neil]

What's the military potential of this?

Non-existant.