Antimatter mystery solution closer

Scientists in a lab with Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in southern Guangdong Province have found neutrino through two detecting instruments, which is likely to provide clues to solving the mystery of why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe.

The announcement

The Institute of High Energy Physics with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Monday announced the breakthrough that was achieved by more than 250 researchers from six countries and regions.

The two neutrino detectors are installed underground 360 meters away from the nuclear plant at a depth of 100 meters.

Scientists believe that matter and antimatter were created in equal amounts during the Big Bang, but the disappearance of antimatter remains a mystery.

Neutrino is an elementary particle that is able to pass through ordinary matter almost unaffected, which makes it extremely difficult to detect.

What is Antimatter and why is it important?

For every type of matter particle we've found, there also exists a corresponding antimatter particle, or antiparticle.

Antiparticles look and behave just like their corresponding matter particles, except they have opposite charges. For instance, a proton is electrically positive whereas an antiproton is electrically negative. Gravity affects matter and antimatter the same way because gravity is not a charged property and a matter particle has the same mass as its antiparticle.

When a matter particle and antimatter particle meet, they annihilate into pure energy!

The scientists have for the first time spotted the band of antimatter particles in Earth's magnetosphere. The particles are rare because they normally are annihilated when they come into contact with regular matter, producing a burst of energy.

In theory, they could one day be used as a fuel to accelerate spacecraft to great speeds for interstellar journeys.