The dream of travelling beyond our solar system
could be way closer than we think, or at least, that's physicists Gerald
Jackson and Steven Howe have claimed. Both Physicists Gerald Jackson and Steven
Howe have been working on an antimatter thrust system for past whole decade
now, as informed by Forbes. Their suggestion is for an antimatter-driven sail
that can transport a 10-kilogram (22-pound) probe to our neighboring star
system, Alpha Centauri, in only 40 years by using 17 grams (0.6 ounces) of
antihydrogen. The big 100-kilogram (220 pounds) sail would be five meters or
almost 16 feet in diameter, made of carbon, and covered with depleted uranium.
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Image Credit: Artist’s illustration of the
antimatter driven sail. Steven Howe/Hbar Technologies, LLC
So when the antihydrogen hits the sail, fission
reaction takes place among the uranium atoms. The key outcome of this fission
is two parallel sized atoms with high and opposite speeds. One of these atoms will
hit the sail, pushing it forward, and the other atom will be lost in space. Using
this method, the scientists say the probe could attain speed up to 10 percent
the speed of light, reaching the boundary of our Solar System in only 10 years.
One of the main problems that need to be mentioned
here, is how to store the antimatter. Antimatter is total opposite of normal
matter, which we are made of. Antimatter particles, have the same mass of their
normal matter counterparts but have an opposite charge (like positron and the
antiproton). When matter and antimatter come into direct contact they crush
each other, releasing pure energy. Physicists are still not clear why the
universe is made of matter but not of of antimatter.
This notion was first suggested back in 2003, at
the Particle Accelerator Conference, but it was not followed due to shortage of
funding. So, Jackson and Howe, with the help their company Hbar Technologies,
are currently planning to launch a Kickstarter promotion next month that would let
them to create a proof-of-concept design and a method to measure the thrust of
such system. Their target is to raise $200,000, which will offer funding for
the next stage of the research.
Jackson told Forbes “Crowdfunding may be a good
way to show interest in the project when it comes time to find bigger investors
or governmental support. We will then need funding on the order of $100 million
to actually build small prototype propulsion and power systems.”
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