Physicists have discovered an antiparticle containing matter and antimatter
October 4, 2014 3:53 PM MST
Particle that is also an antiparticle discovered by scientists
For several decades physicists have theorized the existence of the antiparticle, a particle that simultaneously acts as both matter and antimatter. According to a report published in the journal Science on Thursday, several researchers at Princeton University claim they have actually found it. Called a “Majorana fermion,” the elusive particle may have implications not only for advanced theories about physics, but also on the future of quantum computing.
Ettore Majorana, who gives the particle its name, speculated the existence of a particle that is simultaneously an antiparticle back in 1937, reports io9. Majorana’s theoretical particle would be an exception to the standard relationship between matter and antimatter because it would be able to exhibit qualities of both rather than one form of matter annihilating the other in a burst of energy, as is usually the case.
The researchers at Princeton were able to view the “Majorana fermion” by performing relatively simple experiment. First, the physicists placed an atom thin strand of magnetically charged iron on top of an ultrapure lead crystal that acted as a superconductor. Next, the team cooled the materials to -272 degrees Celsius, which is barely above absolute zero, and observed the system through a two-story tall scanning tunneling microscope. The microscope revealed that the iron wire exhibited neutral electrical signals at each end, which is theorized as the “key signature” of the “Majorana fermion.”
In a report on Princeton’s website, Ali Yazdani, head of the research team and professor of physics, described how the discovery might have a lot of implications for the future of “quantum computing” because finding the “Marjorana fermion” is the first step in the development of “quantum bits” which will allow us to build extremely powerful computers. Regardless of whether the “Marjorana fermion” paves the way for quantum computing, the discovery of a particle that contains its own antiparticle is still a major step toward a greater understanding of the quantum building blocks of the universe.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early ... ce.1259327
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