Anti-Matter Belt around Earth

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14405122

It would be interesting if we could somehow harvest it. The question would be whether the cost of going that far out would be less than just manufacturing anti-matter synthetically.

"All the antimatter produced at CERN in a year would light a 100-watt bulb for only 15 minutes, Hangst said."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/09/0919_020919_wirantimatter_2.html

Originally posted by Omega Vision
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14405122

It would be interesting if we could somehow harvest it. The question would be whether the cost of going that far out would be less than just manufacturing anti-matter synthetically.

Abundant here is coming from physicists, not economists. They found 28 antiprotons. Now obviously they only searched a fraction of the belt but that should give you an idea of how diffuse this cloud is in practical terms.

I would imagine that the gas giants have even more antimatter trapped in their fields. Jupiter's magnetic field is ginormous.

I can understand the ethical concerns of harvesting the anti-matter, as anti-matter production is harmful to the environment... but if we don't harvest it, the Saudis will. And I'd rather not have my Apple Ant-I-Phone developed by human rights abusers.

I think you're overestimating the Saudis, my friend.

Anit matter gets reported like some mysterious magical stuff when in fact its just some matter with the reverse polarisation of the nuclei

There should be an international ban on antimatter experimentation in quantities over a picogram on Earth especially with this news and with the news of antihydrogen occurring naturally in storm clouds. I don't particularly trust any government or entity with ****ing photon torpedoes nor do I want the next world war to end in a spectacle that'll be seen on the other side of the universe. The Earth doesn't need any more moons.

I think they're having enough trouble with the "ban" demonstrated by the laws of thermodynamics.

Originally posted by Quark_666
I think they're having enough trouble with the "ban" demonstrated by the laws of thermodynamics.

Originally posted by Lord Lucien
I can understand the ethical concerns of harvesting the anti-matter, as anti-matter production is harmful to the environment... but if we don't harvest it, the Saudis will. And I'd rather not have my Apple Ant-I-Phone developed by human rights abusers.

oh wait theyre not soviets theyre our friends now 😂

Originally posted by Darth Jello
Penning and Magnetic Traps are becoming more and more efficient, allowing for longer and greater storage of antimatter and antiparticles and lessening the chances of accidental annihilation.

Originally posted by AthenasTrgrFngr
youre not worried about the soviets? 😛

oh wait theyre not soviets theyre our friends now 😂

Originally posted by Quark_666
Meaning their efficiency is in the negative, and they're currently approaching a break-even zero?

Originally posted by Darth Jello
Unless I'm mistaken, the last I read, anti-matter, be it individual particles or anti-hydrogen or anti-helium could be safely stored for 17 days without annihilating.

Originally posted by Quark_666
I'm not worried that anti-matter will be an unstable version of nuclear power. I don't have faith in its ability to power a flashlight.

“This is the biggest fool thing we have ever done. The bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.” — Admiral William D. Leahy, advising President Truman on the atomic bomb, 1945.

Originally posted by ArtificialGlory
“This is the biggest fool thing we have ever done. The bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.” — Admiral William D. Leahy, advising President Truman on the atomic bomb, 1945.

"I know nothing at all about what's going on but since I have some barely related knowledge I'll pretend I do." — Admiral William D. Leahy, advising President Truman on the atomic bomb, 1945.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
"I know nothing at all about what's going on but since I have some barely related knowledge I'll pretend I do." — Admiral William D. Leahy, advising President Truman on the atomic bomb, 1945.

Ow, you got me there!

Here's some more:

"The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.” — Ernest Rutherford, shortly after splitting the atom for the first time.

“There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.” — Albert Einstein, 1932

"I'm not worried that anti-matter will be an unstable version of nuclear power. I don't have faith in its ability to power a flashlight." — Quark_666, 2011

"Well, so much for Canada..." — Some dude, 2084

It makes a great show, bringing up cynics who were wrong. Great therapy session. That's inspiring.

It doesn't change the fact that you're using evidence that it's benign to demonstrate that its efficient.

Originally posted by Darth Jello
Unless I'm mistaken, the last I read, anti-matter, be it individual particles or anti-hydrogen or anti-helium could be safely stored for 17 days without annihilating.

If we didn't lose any of the antimatter at all, got everyone with the capability to cooperate in making the bomb, and increased production capacity a thousand times over, it would take a thousand years to make enough antimatter that it would release as much energy as the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima (about 1 gram) but since antimatter loses most of its explosive power to harmless particles you should probably double that time.

The cost would be enormous, NASA once said the gram we need would cost tens of trillions of dollars, CERN's estimates put it much higher. Then you need to account for building all those new facilities, storing all the antimatter, and paying being to keep it secure.

Within our lifetimes antimatter bombs are less of a concern than a billionaire paying everyone in the world to commit suicide.