Anti-Proton Discovered!

J0hnny

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2002
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Run for the hills!! Anti-proton discovered.

Actually, I'm just wondering if this is true. I remember reading Scientific American that if an anti-proton is discovered, it would mean the end of the universe.
 

Jeff7181

Lifer
Aug 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: J0hnny
Run for the hills!! Anti-proton discovered.

Actually, I'm just wondering if this is true. I remember reading Scientific American that if an anti-proton is discovered, it would mean the end of the universe.

Isn't it theorized that at the center of a black hole is an anti-proton or somethin?
 

J0hnny

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2002
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Originally posted by: xospec1alk
wtf is an anti-proton?

ps. get back to work j0hnny

Post-lunch food coma state leaves me pondering about the weirdest things.
 

bgeh

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 2001
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lol an anti-proton is like a proton, but with a negative charge......
i think it has been discovered already, or else CERN won't be making antimatter hydrogens now
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Uh, ok..

So.. the moment we discover it, *poof*?

LOL....
 

Jeff7181

Lifer
Aug 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: bgeh
lol an anti-proton is like a proton, but with a negative charge......
i think it has been discovered already, or else CERN won't be making antimatter hydrogens now

Oh they make antimatter hydrogens now? FINALLY! Now I can get my warp core up and running :D
 
Jul 1, 2000
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Originally posted by: J0hnny
Run for the hills!! Anti-proton discovered. Actually, I'm just wondering if this is true. I remember reading Scientific American that if an anti-proton is discovered, it would mean the end of the universe.

So, if it remains undiscovered the universe survives? Why would a scientist's discovery of an existing entity affect the fate of the universe?

Do you mean creation?
 

J0hnny

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Jul 2, 2002
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I can't remember why exactly. If an anti-proton exists, then it would signal a collapse of the universe, from a theory from 2 years ago. Who knows, things could have changed.

Well, if CERN is making anti-hydrogen, I might assume this theory was wrong.....or CERN could be building anti-matter bombs for the US government and we'll end up destroying earth and the anti-proton will be our demise, thus completing the theory!
 

BullsOnParade

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Apr 7, 2003
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Anti-matter has been theorized and proven to exist in collider/accelerator studies. The early universe was rife with
these anti particles however the mix was skewed far towards regular particles and therfore the collisions and canclations yeild the current mix. Anti particle - particle interactions aren't wholly destructive, usually they release subpatricles and some energy, nothing universe dooming.

~bulls


 

bgeh

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 2001
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i've not been staying too much at OT, so i'll let someone else do the honours :D
 

RaynorWolfcastle

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Feb 8, 2001
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It's not an anti-proton, but there is a particle that has the potential of "destroying" the universe. I forget what it was but the reason it could "destroy" the universe is that if it collided with a regular particle, it would result in the regular particle releasing some energy and getting converted to this special kind of particle, two particles then knock into 2 more particles and convert them and so on and so forth until the entire universe is screwed.

The reason for this had something to do with the special particle inducing a more stable state. Apparently these particles are generated regularly in high energy experiments but since they are created in particle-antiparticle pairs they annihilate each other before doing any damage.

In any event, I'm sorry if this post makes little sense or isn't accurate, this was something that my Quantum Mech. prof mentioned last semester and I didn't quite understand how it works. In any event, he said they calculated the probability of destroying the Universe on every high energy collision at something ridiculously small, of the order of 10^(-40) or something along those lines. I'll see if I can dig up some more information about this.