Getting places in space quickly has been the goal of propulsion research for a long time. Rockets, our most common means of doing so, are great for providing lots of force but extraordinarily inefficient. Other options like electric propulsion and solar sailing are efficient but offer measly amounts of force, albeit for a long time. So scientists have long dreamed of a third method of propulsion – one that could provide enough force over a long enough time to power a crewed mission to another star in a single human lifetime. And that could theoretically happen using one of the rarest substances in the universe – antimatter. A new paper from Sawsan Ammar Omira and Abdel Hamid I. Mourad at the United Arab Emirates University looks at the possibilities of developing a space drive using antimatter and what makes it so hard to create. Antimatter was initially discovered in 1932 when physicist Carl David Anderson observed positrons – the antimatter form of an electron – in cosmic rays by passing them through a cloud chamber. He won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1936 for his discovery. It took 20 years to create it artificially for the first time. Since then, antimatter has been poked and prodded in as many ways as scientists could think of – including literally, but that causes the thing that antimatter is most famous for – self-annihilation. When an antimatter proton comes into contact with protons or neutrons of normal matter, they annihilate one another and release a combination of energy (typically in the form of gamma rays) and also high-energy short-lived particles, known as pion and kaon, which happen to be traveling at relativistic speeds. So, in theory, a ship could contain enough antimatter to intentionally create this annihilation explosion, using the relativistic particles as a form of thrust and potentially using the gamma rays as a source of power. The overall amount of energy released from a gram of antiprotons being annihilated is 1.8×1014, 11 orders of magnitude more energy than rocket fuel and even 100 times greater energy density than a nuclear fission or fusion reactor. As the paper puts it, “one gram of antihydrogen could ideally power 23 space shuttles.” All this begs the question – why don’t we have these awesome propulsions systems yet? The simple answer is that antimatter is tricky to work with. Since it will self-annihilate with anything it touches, it must be suspended in an advanced electromagnetic containment field. The longest scientists have been able to do that was for about 16 minutes at CERN in 2016, and even that was only on the order of a few atoms – not the grams or kilograms needed to support an interstellar propulsion system. Additionally, it takes absurd amounts of energy to create antimatter, which makes it expensive. The Antiproton Decelerator, a massive particle accelerator at CERN, makes about ten nanograms of antiprotons a year at a cost of several million dollars. Extrapolating that out, producing one gram of antimatter would require something like 25 million kWh of energy—enough to power a small city for a year. It would also cost over $4M at average electricity rates, making it one of the most expensive substances on Earth. Given this expense and the massive scale of the infrastructure needed to do it, antimatter research is relatively limited. Around 100-125 papers per year are produced on the subject, dramatically increasing from around 25 in 2000. However, that compares to around 1000 papers per year on large language models, one of the more popular forms of algorithms powering the current AI boom. In other words, the overall expense and relative long-term horizon over any payout limit the amount of funding and, therefore, advancements in antimatter creation and storage. That means it will probably be quite some time before we end up with an antimatter ship drive. We might even need to create some preliminary energy-producing technologies like fusion that could significantly lower the cost of energy and even enable the research that would eventually get us there. However, the possibility of traveling at near-relativistic speeds and potentially getting actual humans to another star within a single lifetime is an ambitious goal that space and exploration enthusiasts everywhere will continue to pursue, no matter how long it takes. Learn More: Sawsan Ammar Omira & Abdel Hamid I. Mourad – Future of Antimatter Production, Storage, Control, and Annihilation Applications in Propulsion Technologies UT – It’s Official, Antimatter Falls Down in Gravity, Not Up UT – Are There Antimatter Galaxies? UT – Spectrum of Antimatter Observed for First Time Lead Image: Artist’s conception of an antimatter rocket system. Credit – NASA/MFSCLINCOLN — Nebraska produced a touchdown and field goal in a 15-second span to end the first half to extend its lead over Wisconsin to 24-10 into intermission on Saturday. The Huskers produced three offensive touchdowns in all including one with 17 seconds left. Dylan Raiola lofted a pass to Jahmal Banks, who got a foot inbounds in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard score set up by a Wisconsin pass-interference call. UW running back Tawee Walker then ran the ball with 16 seconds left — Ty Robinson forced a fumble and Stefon Thompson recovered. John Hohl tacked on a 37-yard field goal as Nebraska added to its lead against a Big Ten foe it hasn’t beaten in a dozen years. The Huskers opened the game with perhaps their crispest offensive drive in more than a month set up by a season-long kickoff return of 45 yards from Jacory Barney. An Emmett Johnson 15-yard dart up the middle and an intermediate toss to Banks over the middle for 21 yards — Raiola got the ball out just ahead of a blitzer — provided the chunk gains. Heinrich Haarberg came on for a keeper on second and goal from the 5, bowling over multiple Badgers on the right side for his first touchdown of the season. Wisconsin countered immediately with its own score across six plays and 82 yards. Receiver Vinny Anthony shed a tackle for a 42-yard catch-and-run to flip the field and two plays later caught a fade from Braedyn Locke over Marques Buford in the back right corner of the end zone. NU challenged the call — Anthony lost the ball after he landed out of bounds — but officials upheld the ruling. Two offenses that have struggled in the Big Ten looked the part for a stretch from there. Nebraska went three plays and punted. Wisconsin managed one first down and stalled, with Willis McGahee IV forcing one incompletion by reaching Locke and Javin Wright generating another on a third-down deflection to the sideline. A Nebraska disaster followed as Raiola faked a pitch left and rolled right for an underhanded throw to Janiran Bonner, who fumbled the ball into the arms of defensive lineman Ben Barten. But the Badgers moved backward and kicker Nathanial Vakos hooked a 34-yard field goal wide left. The Huskers swung the momentum further their way as Johnson immediately picked up 27 yards on a screen and Barney snagged a shovel pass and live-wired his way downfield for 21 more. An 11-yard completion to Jahmal Banks on a third-and-9 comebacker kept the drive going and Dante Dowdell soon after crossed the goal line untouched from 12 yards out up the middle. Nebraska’s 14-7 lead was short lived thanks on part to an unsportsmanlike conduct flag against offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua for spiking the ball after the score. The penalty help set up the Badgers near midfield and they eventually settled for a 33-yard field goal after a 19-yard run from Tawee Walker. The Husker offense stalled quickly, with punter Brian Buschini pinning UW at its own 3-yard line with a 47-yard boot out of bounds. Wisconsin moved downfield — a 27-yard pass to a wide-open Chris Brooks on the left sideline here, a shovel pass to Trech Kekahuna for 22 there — but ultimately fizzled and Vakos missed well left on a 41-yard attempt. NU rode Johnson again in the final minutes including runs of 14 and 7 yards while Raiola found Banks and Luke Lindenmeyer for 15 and 8, respectively. The march ended with the touchdown pass to Banks and a 21-10 lead. Get local news delivered to your inbox!CapeStart introduces MadeAi, a GenAI─enabled platform for life sciences that transforms literature review and other applications
All the ingredients were there for a 'trap game.' The Steelers baked up a masterpieceEmpowered Funds LLC Has $911,000 Stake in CB Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBFV)
11%+ Yields From AI Stocks: QQQI Vs. QYLD
NonePep Guardiola admitted that Manchester City's grip on the Premier League will be over if they lose at Anfield next week. Pep Guardiola has conceded that Manchester City's hopes of retaining the Premier League title will be all but over if they lose to Liverpool at Anfield next week. City's recent struggles continued with a 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham, leaving them trailing Arne Slot's league leaders by eight points if the Reds win at Southampton. Guardiola acknowledged that a defeat at Anfield would be a decisive blow in the title race, saying: "Yes. In terms of Liverpool winning, winning, winning it's true. I don't know what is going to happen, but the reality is here and we have to win games." The City boss also warned that things could get even worse for his team, saying: "People are saying it can't get worse - but it can get worse. The exceptional things we have done over the last eight years are not eternal. I said how difficult it was to do the things we have done - and now people might believe me." Guardiola attributed City's recent struggles to a combination of factors, saying: "We are a bit fragile right now, but we can't run away. We have to face it. I would like to say there is just one reason for losing three Premier League games in a row. There are many details that we have to fix." The defeat to Tottenham was City's heaviest at the Etihad and their worst at home since a 5-1 loss to Arsenal 21 years ago, with James Maddison scoring twice and Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson also finding the net. Guardiola faced a rare dip in his managerial record with Manchester City after defeat to Spurs marked five losses on the trot - something not endured by the team since Stuart Pearce's management in 2006, reports the Mirror . Spurs' boss Ange Postecoglou demanded consistency from his squad following their triumph in Manchester, proclaiming: "Today was about doubling down on our football principles. It's a significant win. City have got an unbelievable record here at home. "It isn't something you can be blasé about. We have reached these standards before - now it's about not dropping. You don't come to a place like this believing it is going to be as convincing as it was for us. "City test you in every footballing way possible. Defensively, working hard, being disciplined and playing football - and in all four areas we got to a strong level. We got back to our core beliefs as a team. We knew they would really come out because four defeats had all been away from home but we really grew into the game." Leicester's key player Maddison, who sparkled on his birthday, remarked on the milestone victory: "That's a birthday I'll look back on quite fondly. To come here to the champions and perform like that and get the result. You have to cherish these ones, they don't come around often."
