Storage of antimatter in crystals
September 18, 2007
CIt's an idea that is not new. I think the first person to suggest it more than ten years ago was the physicist Gospner.
SSuppose we have antimatter atoms, in this case, light atoms: antihydrogen. We know how to synthesize these atoms. We also know how to store them in magnetic bottles. We can direct this atom toward a target with great precision, on the order of angstroms, since the mid-seventies. Suppose we have a crystalline metallic structure. The atoms will be arranged in a very strict, precise order. We can then "fire" this antimatter atom toward a structure shaped like a cage so that the atom enters this cage with its electron companion.
DIn a metal there are many free electrons. This is what gives these materials their electrical and thermal conductivity. If an antiproton-antielectron pair enters this cage, the antielectron will annihilate with an electron. This annihilation will break the electrical neutrality of the medium. The "response" of the metallic crystal will be to trap the antiproton in a cage where it will be held "with a firm grip". The annihilation of the antielectron will release energy. However, this energy is two thousand times weaker than the energy equivalent of the antiproton. Thus, atom by atom, we can "dope" this crystal by embedding a considerable amount of antimatter, electrostatically confined. Below is a scientific result published in the magazine Science et Vie.
LThe only thing that can release these antiprotons is the dislocation of the crystalline structure of this metal, here: gold. You can throw this crystal against a wall, it will not release the antiprotons from their cages. However, it will be sufficient to cause the fusion of a tiny element, by Joule effect, to unleash the release of energy.
Do you remember that movie where James Bond faces a killer who only uses gold bullets?