Science fiction for decades has had us dreaming of traveling between the stars using warp speed, hyper engines, and hyperspace jumps. However, technological limitations have so far kept these dreams in the realm of fantasy. However, new research suggests that antimatter could be a revolutionary fuel source for spacecraft, capable of providing speeds that now seem unattainable.
Antimatter is a kind of “evil twin” of ordinary matter, where the particles have opposite charges. When matter and antimatter collide, annihilation occurs, a process that releases pure energy. Even a tiny amount of antimatter contains enormous energy power, millions of times greater than conventional rocket fuel.
Research by scientists from the United Arab Emirates University shows impressive promise. One gram of antimatter, specifically antihydrogen, could theoretically provide the energy to launch 23 Starship rockets. This is about 10 billion times more powerful than the hydrogen-oxygen combustion that powers rocket engines, and 300 times more powerful than thermonuclear reactions in the Sun’s core.
In addition, the specific impulse of antimatter engines “can reach 20 million m/s,” making interstellar travel a realistic goal. Such thrust would allow the rocket to not only explore the solar system, but also to travel distances to neighboring stars within a single person’s lifetime. For example, crossing the Solar System could take only a few weeks instead of decades.
While the prospects are exciting, there are significant technical and economic challenges. Antimatter instantly annihilates on contact with ordinary matter, so it must be isolated and contained in complex systems with powerful electromagnetic fields. The current antimatter confinement record is 16 minutes, set at CERN.
Another problem is the incredibly high cost of production. Current technology can produce only 10 nanograms of antimatter per year at a cost of millions of dollars per gram. Making enough for rocket fuel requires astronomical budgets and technologies that are so far beyond our capabilities.
Despite these challenges, researchers believe that further advances in science can overcome these barriers. If the problems of antimatter containment and production are solved, interstellar travel could become a reality in our lifetime. So, while antimatter is still a sci-fi concept, its potential could upend the idea of space travel.
Earlier we covered what would happen if a spacecraft flew into a black hole.
According to universetoday.com
