69 trillion dollars per gram: It will be transported by minibus for the first time
Scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) are preparing to break new ground in history. Two teams at CERN are very close to the testing phase of their project aimed at transporting antimatter.
Antimatter is simply the opposite of matter. Scientists think that the universe initially consisted of equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Antimatter annihilates when it comes into contact with matter. Theoretically, during the Big Bang, matter and antimatter should have annihilated each other, leaving only light. However, for an unknown reason, matter prevailed over antimatter, and antimatter is now very rare in the universe. For this reason, antimatter is considered one of the most mysterious elements of the universe.
In the universe, antimatter exists and disappears only in a fraction of a second. CERN is the only facility and technology in the world where antimatter can be produced and slowed down enough to be captured.
.png
TARGET IS THE SECOND HALF OF 2025
According to the article published in Nature magazine, the PUMA and BASE-STEP projects at CERN aim to transport antimatter to different laboratories. The first transport tests between CERN facilities are now expected to take place in the second half of 2025.
While the BASE-STEP project aims to study antiprotons in a sensitive environment, the PUMA project plans to investigate the structure of short-lived substances. These studies aim to provide new scientific opportunities by using the technology of cooling antimatter and stabilizing it with magnetic fields.
Antiproton decelerator at CERN
SPECIAL TECHNOLOGY IN MINIBUSES
Both projects will initially transport antimatter within the same facility, using minibuses equipped with very high-tech special ‘traps’. In order for the antimatter to be ‘captured’ and transported, scientists need to stop the antimatter and transfer it to ‘magnetic bottles’. Antimatter must be prevented from contacting the outside with superconducting magnets. A mobile generator in the vehicles will power the magnets and the cooling systems of the ‘bottles’. Cooling systems will keep the antiprotons at -269 degrees Celsius.
In the first tests at CERN, transportation times are expected to reach hours. However, scientists working on the BASE-STEP project aim to increase the travel distance to 700 kilometers in the medium term.
NO POSSIBILITY OF ‘EXPLOSION’
Commenting on the subject to Nature Magazine, Prof. from the Department of Physics at Darmstadt Technical University. Dr. Alexandre Obertelli said, “This type of transportation service means the democratization of the use and work of antimatter.” Regarding concerns about the safety of the test, Obertelli, who is part of the PUMA team, said, “Even if all of the antiprotons planned to be transported were to ‘disappear’ at the same time, the effect would be as much as the impact of a pen falling on the ground. Therefore, there is no possibility of an explosion.”
Understanding antimatter can not only provide a better understanding of the universe, but can also provide important material services to humanity. When antimatter and normal matter come together, large amounts of energy are released. This shows that it has a great potential to solve the energy problem in the future. Being able to produce energy by keeping antimatter under control can direct the technological development of humanity in the future and achieve a great acceleration.
Currently, humanity is at the very beginning of the journey to obtain antimatter and is carrying out experiments and studies with very small amounts. However, the latest calculations show that a gram of antimatter is worth approximately 69 trillion dollars under current conditions.