thethinkingatom

Matter is what makes up everything. Matter is made up of small particles called atoms. There are two different forms of matter in the Universe- matter & antimatter. Both matter and antimatter are equal in mass but opposite in charge.

Matter consists of protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks and leptons. Antimatter is composed of antiquarks, antileptons, positrons (positive electrons), antiprotons (negative protons), and antineutrons.

Each particle of normal matter has its antimatter counterpart. An electron is negative so its antimatter form will be a positron which is positive. A proton is positive so its opposite will be an antiproton which is negative.

Matter and antimatter annihilate upon contact, converting their total mass directly into energy

Antimatter is rare in the natural universe but can be created in laboratories and is used in medical PET scans. 

Antiparticles bind with each other to form antimatter, just as ordinary particles bind to form normal matter. For example, a positron (the antiparticle of the electron) and an antiproton (the antiparticle of the proton) can form an antihydrogen atom. The nuclei of antihelium have been artificially produced.

Annihilations of matter and antimatter produce different particles. All annihilations produce a huge amount of energy. Just 0.25g of antimatter meeting 0.25g would release the same amount of energy as a small nuclear bomb. This can be used as an energy producing method.

The Antiproton Decelerator (AD) is a unique machine that produces low-energy antiprotons for studies of antimatter, and “creates” antiatoms.