Thunderstorms proven to create antimatter

Started by unknown · date unknown · 3 posts

1. Bubz

   #1 · date not recorded

   Interesting news I found this morning! I'd have to say, I havent been much into anti-matter or fully understood where exactly a positron comes from and how it is detected. Opinions?
    
     Thunderstorms proven to create antimatter
    
    

   Quote

   Scientists long have suspected TGFs arise from the strong electric fields near the tops of thunderstorms. Under the right conditions, they say, the field becomes strong enough that it drives an upward avalanche of electrons. Reaching speeds nearly as fast as light, the high-energy electrons give off gamma rays when they’re deflected by air molecules. Normally, these gamma rays are detected as a TGF.
   But the cascading electrons produce so many gamma rays that they blast  electrons and positrons clear out of the atmosphere. This happens when  the gamma-ray energy transforms into a pair of particles: an electron  and a positron. It’s these particles that reach Fermi’s orbit.

2. Donaldwfc

   #2 · date not recorded

   cool

3. Dave

   #3 · date not recorded

   thats interesting! I wonder if this could become a cost effective way of producing antimatter, or atleast cheaper then how ever they make it now