Antimatter is at the heart of science fiction novels and shows such as Star Trek and Quantum Leap but in reality the existence of antimatter in our universe is not fiction at all. Antimatter, as its name implies, is the opposite of matter and was discovered in the first half of the twentieth century. To this day, antimatter continues to intrigue physicists and science fiction fans alike.

Matter, the stuff that all physical things are composed of, is made of atoms which are themselves composed of particles such as protons, electrons and neutrons. Similarly, antimatter contains antiparticles that are called antiprotons, positrons, and antineutrons respectively. Particles and antiparticles have the same mass but opposite charges; for example an electron is negatively charged and it’s opposite the positron is an electron with a positive charge. Therefore antimatter is an umbrella term that refers to the culmination of these antiparticles.

When matter and antimatter come into contact with one another they are both annihilated. This annihilation releases a large amount of energy. Very generally, the big bang theory of the creation of the universe involves the large scale encounter of matter and antimatter.

Antimatter is not significant on earth unless it is created artificially in a physics laboratory or similar setting. Scientists have been able to create relatively small amounts of antimatter in the form of antihydrogen. Naturally, antimatter briefly occurs on earth as a result of cosmic rays penetrating the atmosphere as well as the breakdown of radioactive materials. Within a matter of nanoseconds antiparticles and particles meet and are destroyed which is why antimatter does not occur naturally. In space however antimatter is much more common and observable through the use of finely tuned instruments.

The ability to artificially create antimatter is very important in medical science specifically in PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography). A PET scan uses the byproducts of the annihilation of the electron and the positron which is gamma photons to test for and diagnose cancer. Antimatter is used in some other forms of radiation technology as well.

In theory, antimatter could be used as a renewable and completely efficient source of fuel. However the time, effort and cost of creating antimatter currently outweighs the benefit of the energy that it could potentially produce. In the future when antimatter is better understood it may in fact become a plausible solution for our current energy crisis as it relates to environmental degradation.