Antimatter stands out as a potential energy source that could unlock interstellar travel. Elon Musk’s “ticket for interstellar journeysIt is being investigated how antimatter, which he describes as “”, can be used by engineers and physicists. So how much does antimatter cost?
Could an antimatter engine open the door to interstellar travel?
In terms of electric charge, this substance the opposite of normal matter It consists of particles that are different from each other, and therefore when antimatter comes into contact with normal matter, both can annihilate and produce large amounts of energy. When antimatter and matter annihilate, mass turns directly into energy.
The amount of energy released in this process offers great potential for using antimatter in space travel. For example, One gram of antimatter can produce an explosion equivalent to a nuclear bomb. This type of energy can take people to places never gone before at record speed.
Why can’t antimatter engines be produced yet?
The reason why antimatter engines don’t exist is not due to technological limitations. cost related. Accelerator physicist who worked on antimatter projects at Fermilab Gerald Jacksonsays that with enough funding we could have an antimatter spacecraft prototype within a decade.
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As long as the cost is covered, the basic technology is actually available and physicists are producing antiprotons and antihydrogen atoms with the world’s most powerful particle accelerators.
Cost of one gram of antimatter
The current cost of Antimatter is approximately 62 trillion dollars. The formation of 1 gram is 100 billion years progress. Without a doubt, it is considered the most expensive substance on Earth. Today, even if all billionaires come together, they cannot buy 1 gram of antimatter.
Hbar TechnologiesFounder, chairman and CEO of jacksonis working on the concept of “antimatter space sail” and states that this design can be used to go to stars, planets or moons.
CEO of Positron Dynamics Weed, positrons is working on – the antimatter version of the electron. Positrons are thousands of times lighter than antiprotons and produce less energy when annihilated. The advantage is that positrons occur naturally and require a huge accelerator and It doesn’t need billions of dollars.
The latest situation in antimatter engines
As with all antimatter propulsion designs, these concepts have not yet been implemented. Over the decades, scientists have proposed many different concepts, but none of them have materialized. For example, in 1953 Austrian physicist Eugen Sängera ” that will use positron annihile energyphoton rocket” he suggested.
Since the 1980s, there have been talks of thermal antimatter engines that will use antimatter to heat liquid, gas or plasma.
So, in your opinion, what impact might antimatter engines have on space exploration and humanity’s existence in space? What engineering and scientific challenges need to be overcome to make antimatter engines a reality? You can share your opinions below.