Detecting Anti-Matter Particles

[HiverLord]

As I have little knowledge about these things (and my forum searches returned blank walls...):

Can Anti-matter particles be detected, specifically by the sensors on Traveller ships?

I plan on having a group try to navigate through a system that contains 'loose' anti-matter particles floating around, but am not sure a) whether the concept is even viable (I think it's a possible concept, but I'm not sure.) and b) I'm not sure if these loose particles can be detected with normal sensors.

I do know that the matter/anti-matter interaction will produce a lot of background static in the system, as well as hull/system damage if their ship encounters any of said particles...

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[leo knight]

I just found this article about NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope detecting anti-matter produced in thunderstorms. Here's the link:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jan/HQ_11-008_Fermi_Thunderstorms.html

A relevant qoute:

Fermi is designed to monitor gamma rays, the highest energy form of light. When antimatter striking Fermi collides with a particle of normal matter, both particles immediately are annihilated and transformed into gamma rays. The GBM has detected gamma rays with energies of 511,000 electron volts, a signal indicating an electron has met its antimatter counterpart, a positron.

Hope this helps!

 

[HiverLord]

Wow. A very interesting discovery, and article. Thanks for the link!
(And interesting between my question and the appearance of this article, no?)

 

[gfasi33]

I'm not a traveller rules-maven, but I think that the capability is certainly viable to detect anti-matter. (especially given the NASA reference).

Sounds like a cool adventure to me. And when your players complain about it.. reference the nasa article... so this is not "the far far future".

 

[BlackBat242]

Note that Fermi only detects antimatter at very close ranges... far too close for a ship to avoid at normal Traveller space speeds.

It also only detects antimatter indirectly... by detecting the products of a matter-anti-matter annihilation AFTER it has taken place.



Hopefully, Traveller sensors can detect the A-M before the ship collides with it!

 

[Enoff]

I just finished Jack Williamson's book Seetee Ship a couple weeks ago and started a bit on his Seetee Shock.

These book are about mining anti-matter in the Asteroid belt. The premise being that the fifth planet in our solar system which is now the asteroid belt had been made of anti-matter itself or been hit by a anti-matter asteroid that destroyed the planet thereby creating the asteroid belt.

C.T. (SeeTee) Contraterrene

If forms the basis of one of the GDW boardgames Belter where you can mine Contraterrene (anti-matter) and make a profit of it.

Williamson goes into great detail of how to discover anti-matter.

 

[HiverLord]

I'd heard of his (Williamson's) book, but never read it.
EDIT: Can't find any reference to those books in the local library. I'll have to dig through the local bookstores now...

As to the adventure part, my gamers haven't gotten that far yet (as we only meet every two weeks or so, and the weather has interfered lately; 17+ inches of snow in less than two days will do that...) After they finish their current mission (chasing a wanted ship, which has a few surprises on it.. :devil, they plan on (hopefully) starting right after that...

I figured that their detection of the a/m would have to be indirect, of course, but wasn't sure of the capabilities. (You would have to figure that even a few electrons from basic radar hitting the particles would set it off...)

[If the group is thinking, they'll come up with an option I thought of: if they suspect they are near a/m particles, they could rig a 'spray nozzle' with water or gas aboard; spray a thin layer of water in front of the ship while moving *very* slowly, and they may be able to avoid hitting them. It might work...]

Thanks again, everyone, for the input!

 

[Icosahedron]

(You would have to figure that even a few electrons from basic radar hitting the particles would set it off...)

Electrons from radar?

[If the group is thinking, they'll come up with an option I thought of: if they suspect they are near a/m particles, they could rig a 'spray nozzle' with water or gas aboard; spray a thin layer of water in front of the ship while moving *very* slowly, and they may be able to avoid hitting them. It might work...]

Sounds like a job for a sandcaster to me.

 

[aramis]

Electrons from radar?


Sounds like a job for a sandcaster to me.

The radar hitting the magnets should dislodge a few...
Probably not high enough energy on them to actually hit the antimatter, but it's possible.

 

[BlackBat242]

I'd heard of his (Williamson's) book, but never read it.
EDIT: Can't find any reference to those books in the local library. I'll have to dig through the local bookstores now...

Seetee Series

* Seetee Shock (1949) (as by Will Stewart) [from Astounding, 1949]
* Seetee Ship (1951) (as by Will Stewart) [from previously published stories 1942-3, chronological placement of stories is before Seetee Shock]
* Seetee Ship/Seetee Shock (1971) [combined volume]

Both novels have seen multiple reprints from different publishers.

Jack's first published short story was The Metal Man (1928) [age 20], his last was The Ultimate Earth (2000, awarded the Hugo for Best Novella in 2001)... and his first novels were The Girl From Mars and The Green Girl (both 1930), his last was The Stonehenge Gate (2005)... he died in 2006 (age 98).


I've got an awful lot of his stuff.

 

[Mithras]

Doesn't the Shionthy Belt in the Spinward Marches have antimatter particles floating around it, hence the Red Zone?

 

[aramis]

Doesn't the Shionthy Belt in the Spinward Marches have antimatter particles floating around it, hence the Red Zone?

yep.

 

[HiverLord]

Doesn't the Shionthy Belt in the Spinward Marches have antimatter particles floating around it, hence the Red Zone?

Yes, though I believe it was later changed to an Amber Zone (the maps I have show this, anyway.)
I think the 'ruling' on this is that part of the system (around the main habitats) has been 'cleared out' of particles (don't ask how; haven't seen anything on this), though the rest of the system is off-limits.

And, 'coincidentally', Shionthy is where this little adventure will be taking place...

 

[HiverLord]

Electrons from radar?

Sounds like a job for a sandcaster to me.

Both of these rate a 'DOH' on my part. (slaps forehead in disgust...)
You can't tell from these slips that I've been working overnights, can you?

Of course, they have to 'have' a sandcaster to use in this manner... which they don't. :devil:

 

[HiverLord]

BlackBat, thanks for the info on the books/stories.
Now it's time to start searching.