cern-summer-webfest/chapter/antimatter.html
2012-08-05 10:51:33 +02:00

2 lines
825 B
HTML

Antimatter
Every particle[ref] that we have met so far has a corresponding anti-particle. These antiparticles have exactly the same mass[ref] as the particle, but opposite charge[ref], and their lifetime and stability are the same. When a particle, for example the electron, meets its antiparticle, an anti-electron (or positron), they will annihilate each other. This means that both particles disappear and produce a huge amount of energy[ref]. This annihilation will only occur when an antiparticle meets its matching partner. For example, an antimuon will not annihilate with an electron. However, because there is a lot more matter in our universe than antimatter, it is much more likely for an antiparticle to find its partner very quickly and annihilate. Hence, we do not see antiparticles very often in our universe.