forms of anti-matter?

[Shrykull]

Does anti-matter exist in all 4 forms just like normal matter does? If so, wouldn't it be cool if an ISD fired anti-matter plasma. And I wonder if the planet killer fired anti matter plasma, which could cut through shields. Could you also design a ship which fires a beam of plasma and one of anti plasma which collide together right in front of a ship, causing the explosion?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Does anti-matter exist in all 4 forms just like normal matter does? If so, wouldn't it be cool if an ISD fired anti-matter plasma. And I wonder if the planet killer fired anti matter plasma, which could cut through shields. Could you also design a ship which fires a beam of plasma and one of anti plasma which collide together right in front of a ship, causing the explosion?

Yes. Antimatter has an equivalent to all forms of matter.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Does anti-matter exist in all 4 forms just like normal matter does? If so, wouldn't it be cool if an ISD fired anti-matter plasma. And I wonder if the planet killer fired anti matter plasma, which could cut through shields. Could you also design a ship which fires a beam of plasma and one of anti plasma which collide together right in front of a ship, causing the explosion?

Yes. Antimatter has an equivalent to all forms of matter.

Ooops, have to add the following. Antimatter has no special properties, apart from being really, really allergic to matter. Throwing an antimatter asteroid at an energy shield would have the same effect as throwing a standard one at the same shield.

[Mr. Mister]

Why is it that matter's so much more prevalent than anti-matter? Isn't anti-matter one of those things that's not really naturally occuring, like those elements in the 110-120 range?

[HemlockGrey]

What is anti-matter made up, btw?

And, what is the fourth state of matter? Liquid, solid, gas, and...?

[Patrick Ogaard]

Why is it that matter's so much more prevalent than anti-matter? Isn't anti-matter one of those things that's not really naturally occuring, like those elements in the 110-120 range?

Basically --really, really basically, which is about my level-- antimatter has an opposite charge from the equivalent matter. When a subatomic particle of antimatter contacts its matter twin, the binding forces of both essentially unwind, so that the matter and antimatter both convert into energy in the form of two gamma radiation photons moving in opposite directions. Other than that, antiparticles work just the same as particles: one positrons and antiprotons and antineutrons (or whatever those are called) would combine to form regular forms of antimatter. Just never shake hands with someone from an antimatter universe...

The mystery of why antimatter is so rare as to essentially be created only as a byproduct of things like cosmic radiation hitting the atmosphere is theorized by many physicists to be rooted in an infinitesimally small bias in favor of matter. Basically (again) the idea is that way, way back when, when the energy soup of the universe expanded and cooled enough that the background energy would not immediately destroy any matter created by photons smacking into each other, a tiny surplus of matter was created. Matter and antimatter reacted, dumping energy back into the background energy, but a tiny amount of matter remained. Lather, rinse, repeat almost infinitely, and you end up with the modern universe. (Freeman Dyson once floated the hypothesis that quantum black holes could have swallowed all the antimatter at the beginning of the universe. Anyone who can come up with the Dyson sphere is cool.)

Of course, the big mystery is why Data doesn't worry about electricity. After all, any electricity overcoming the insulation of his brain would send a surge of electrons through Data's positronic brain, and positrons are the antiparticles of electrons. Data is carrying a live photon torpedo around between his ears.

Now let's have the scientist types on this board weigh in on this.

[Slartibartfast]

What is anti-matter made up, btw?

And, what is the fourth state of matter? Liquid, solid, gas, and...?

Plasma.

[Slartibartfast]

And the actual order (in temperature) would be:

Solid -> Liquid -> Gas -> Plasma

[Slartibartfast]

Just never shake hands with someone from an antimatter universe...

Isn't that from that comic about the son of Reed and Sue Richards?

Yeah, it was just luck that in the end matter ended outbalancing antimatter when the universe began or whatever. Hence the theory that an alternate universe entirely made of antimatter could exist (with tiny quantities of matter, with just the same interaction).

But in the end, regardless of which of the two kinds of atoms remained, it would have been called matter, and the opposite, antimatter. So the guys from the hypothetic universe won't think of themselves as made of ANTI-matter.

[Patrick Ogaard]

Just never shake hands with someone from an antimatter universe...

Isn't that from that comic about the son of Reed and Sue Richards?

I'd managed to completely forget that, but you're quite right. There was some recurring bit about a portal to an antimatter universe and whatnot. I never was much of a comic book reader, though. The antimatter-based spaceship or visitor is a popular way of illustrating how a meeting between antimatter and matter would have potentially non-positive consequences for those involved in the exchange of pleasantries.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Just never shake hands with someone from an antimatter universe...

Isn't that from that comic about the son of Reed and Sue Richards? :)

Yeah, it was just luck that in the end matter ended outbalancing antimatter when the universe began or whatever. Hence the theory that an alternate universe entirely made of antimatter could exist (with tiny quantities of matter, with just the same interaction).

But in the end, regardless of which of the two kinds of atoms remained, it would have been called matter, and the opposite, antimatter. So the guys from the hypothetic universe won't think of themselves as made of ANTI-matter.

Which would go well . . . right up to first contact between species of the two universes. Then it gets interesting.

[omegaLancer]

Actually the answer to question is maybe. See scientists believes anti matter behaves just like normal matter, but only recently have they been able to create enough of it to test.

About 50,000 atoms of anti hydrogen have been created and is going to used to see if Antimatter behaves like normal matter. The first test is the old drop test... they going to let the anti hydrogen fall and see if response to gravity like normal hydrogen. (The fact is the anti H is frozen and in a vacuum so it should easily fall down)

If this happen then CPT is proven. CPT - Charge parity time is a Symmetry that said matter and anti matter behaves in the same manner. Symmetries are said to be the only real laws, for they are what responsible for conservation laws like the conservation of energy (Base on time symmetry), conservation of charge (Charge Symmetry). Unfortunately Symmetrical relationships are not always obey, Parity is one that is broken by weak force interaction, and so is CP (combination of Charge and parity) which is why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe...

The anti hydrogen may just fall up ( AHHHH, CPT is violated) and if this happen anti matter does not necessarily act in all cases like matter. It may then not form plasma or undergo phase changes. So far anti hydrogen seem like it behave like it counterpart, but they are just beginning testing..