Antimatter
Posted in Physics, Probing deep into matterAntimatter is matter that is made up of so-called antiparticles. These particles are the exact same as their corresponding particle except they have the opposite charge.
Positron
The positron is a 'special' antiparticle in that it is given a specific name. The positron is just an antielectron. It has the same mass as an electron but the opposite charge (the same charge of a proton).
Positrons have their own name as they are the most common and easily created of all antiparticles.
Every particle has its antiself
Every particle has a corresponding antiparticle:
- Electron: Positron
- Proton: Antiproton
- Neutron: Antineutron
- Neutrino: Antineutrino
Antimatter is simply matter made up of these antiparticles.
Symmetry
Particles and antiparticles behave rather symmetrically. For example, where a hydrogen atom is made up of a single proton orbited by a single electron an antihydrogen atom is made up from a single antiproton orbited by a single positron (antielectron).
Antihydrogen isn't some theoretical concept either - it was first produced at CERN in 1995.