Specifications
Forward, Robert L, and Davis Joel, Mirror Matter: Pioneering
Antimatter Physics, Wiley
Science Editions, New York, 1988.
Reading
This was started on February 1, 2007, and finished on February 18,
2007. The book was from the library.
Review
Ultimately, this book is boring. I had
hoped to learn new things about antimatter, but I didn't. The
primary emphasis is on current technology which is used to generate
and store antimatter. There is a science fiction story that
permeates the book, which uses antimatter as a power source. The
unstated problem is that it takes many times the energy output to
create antimatter, therefore, it would not be useful.
I suppose that one could make the case
that if the storage technology improves that it could be used as a
light form of energy for space flight, but I'm not holding my breath.
I couldn't force my way through to the
end. It did get into several interesting ideas. First, antimatter
can be stored - there have been technologies developed for doing
this. Second, antimatter, actually antimatter protons, can be
reliably generated, and created from straight energy. I don't
believe it is said, but the implication is that they always come
paired with a matter proton - Feynman's theory that antimatter is
matter going backwards in time.
I also noted the idea of clumping the
protons for storage. It was suggested that maybe someday we could
generate more complicated atoms, but the discussion doesn't lead me
to believe it will be during my lifetime, or any time soon.
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