It was abundant right after the Big Bang, but now, it is rare. Antimatter is one of the strangest and biggest scientific mysteries in the universe. However, it is also extremely powerful and could open new doors to clean energy sources beyond solar, wind, and nuclear power. If we can gain control over it, it could reshape the world, or it could rip it apart. Is it truly worth the energy?
Seeking high and low for clean power solutions
The universe has locked various mysteries waiting to be uncovered. Yet, sometimes, unlocking one mystery could lead to a whole bunch of new ones. But before we can open a whole can of worms of the universe, we must first save our planet and all its living organisms. Our existence hangs on a mere thread due to the worsening effects of climate change.
Global temperatures are rising, weather patterns are changing, and becoming more extreme. This means the clean energy transition to mitigate these effects is becoming urgent. Renewable energies such as solar and wind have significantly increased in capacity, and scientific breakthroughs in nuclear power are beyond our wildest dreams.
Unfortunately, none of these sources has been enough to meet the continuously rising energy demands. But now it seems that the universe’s biggest scientific mystery could be the energy source we have been seeking all along.
The most mysterious source could be the answer
Investment in renewables has been the key to bridging the gap to a cleaner environment, but what if another source could be used in a power plant? The universe consists of material called matter, such as planets and stars, which consist of atoms, namely electrons, neutrons, and protons. However, it also consists of antimatter, a “mirrored image” of every matter with the same mass but converse charge, such as positrons and antiprotons.
The Big Bang theory, which explains how the universe was created, created equal parts of both forms. Einstein predicted that when matter and antimatter collide, they destroy each other and produce substantial energy. But now, antimatter is extremely rare, which led to the biggest scientific mystery in the universe. Nonetheless, this mysterious source has been of scientific interest, and some even dream of using it as a fuel or in other earthbound applications.
Stanford University, in particular, has addressed the feasibility of using antimatter in its Introduction to the Physics of Energy coursework.
This could happen if we try to gain control
Fusion energy has long been perceived as “The Holy Grail of Clean Energy,” as often seen in science fiction, but some dream of using matter-antimatter reactors as a source of power. The annihilation reaction produces energy that is a hundredfold higher than that of a thermonuclear engine, which makes it understandable that it could be perceived as “the next best thing since sliced bread.”
On the Worldbuilding Stack Exchange platform, one user presented the question of how antimatter can be used to produce energy. The feedback included a few methods, all of which still face significant challenges, but one was deemed the simplest:
- Using electron-positron annihilation to create 0.511 MeV gamma rays
- Using tungsten (which has a high melting point) to absorb the gamma rays
- Using a thermopile heat engine to generate electricity
Unfortunately, while several laboratories do create antimatter, these amounts are not nearly enough for applications such as propulsion systems. Additionally, there are significant safety concerns surrounding commercial-scale antimatter production, including the possibility of creating black holes. This means these facilities should ideally be constructed at isolated locations, such as the moon. In short, the world may not be ready for matter-antimatter power plants (yet). For now, the focus should remain on conventional renewable energy investments.
