Antimatter Meteors

In "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" Thomas S. Kuhn states that the ability to explain anomalies is a hallmark of a paradigm shift. A modern anomaly is unidentified flying objects that in particular instances resemble the probable properties of antimatter meteors. Let's refer to these as antimatter matter objects or AMMO to avoid any confusion with flying saucer lore. When matter and antimatter come in contact, electrons annihilate positrons, and protons annihilate antiprotons. The result is ionizing gamma radiation, or high energy photons above the range of x-rays. Radiation is an unfortunate term referring to two distinct affects: radioactive decay of subatomic particles and electromagnetic radiation.

First, second, and third degree burns are commonly associated with solar radiation (sunburn), and infrared radiation from fires. Betty Cash and companions suffered from ionizing gamma radiation, during what appears to be a textbook AMMO incident.

What does a matter-antimatter reaction look like anyway? To answer that question let's consider a thought experiment. The chain-reaction that occurs in an atom bomb is nuclear fission. Inside a solid radioactive substance like uranium or plutonium at critical mass the atoms decay into lighter elements and give off neutrons. These neutrons in turn trigger the decay of other atoms, which give off more neutrons. Over time the number of decays increases exponentially causing an explosion.

A hydrogen bomb is triggered by an atom bomb, where heavy hydrogen in the form of deuterium and tritium is compressed by the blast of the atomic bomb producing nuclear fusion. Atoms of hydrogen fuse to become helium and release a tremendous amount of energy in the instant of compression causing an explosion.

Now let's consider solid antimatter in matter air. First the density of air is much less than a solid. Second the reaction takes place where matter and antimatter come in contact, the surface. Therefore, since air is less dense than water, antimatter dissolves much slower in air than Alka-Seltzer dissolves in water. The annihilation process is not exponential, but proportional to the surface area of the antimatter and the density of the surrounding air.

Electrons attracted to antimatter surface positrons also repel each other, so full fledged electron coverage is problematic. However, when electrons and positrons do annihilate, gamma rays are created from the energy. Gamma rays can eject positrons from the surface of antimatter into the surrounding air via the photoelectric effect, or eject electrons from atmospheric molecules that may collide with the antimatter. This can sustain a chain reaction with surface positrons until no more remain. Ridding the surface of positrons makes the surface of the antimatter electrostatically negative, from the antiprotons, which attract protons. Atomic nuclei orphaned by electron annihilations are attracted to the positron deficient antimatter. The annihilation process would proceed along the lines of an oscillating electrostatic field peeling away the surface of the antimatter like the layers of an onion.

Depending on the size of the antimatter meteor we're talking maybe hours, not the seconds you'd expect from an explosion. For a potential real world time estimate on how fast matter annihilates antimatter watch the video at my blog entry: Best UFO footage ever?

Skeptics ask for physical evidence of UFOs, however antimatter dissolves in matter leaving behind only the aftermath of gamma radiation exposure, while the outside-in dissolving process is slower than metal in acid or Alka-Seltzer in water. Therefore, the no debris at crash sites defense doesn't apply to AMMO. People coming in contact with AMMO would suffer from radiation poisoning, overexposure being lethal. Bodies at crash sites could be humans that curiosity killed, no extraterrestrial intelligence required.

The electrostatic force is far greater than the gravitational force. Between electrons and protons this difference is on the order of ten to the thirty-sixth, or a billion times a billion times a billion times a billion, which is a good thing since the electrostatic force forms molecular bonds. This gives antimatter part of its anomalous properties. Electrons are attracted to antimatter positrons, but electrons repel each other. AMMO are observed with a reflective metallic surface. Electrons would form a bubble around antimatter, which is consistent with these observations (see NASA STS-37 and STS-51A artifacts).

The water molecule is an electric dipole. Water vapor would also be attracted to ionized AMMO, which would appear cloud like. An AMMO icy comet would appear like ball lightning. AMMO is consistent with the original description of crop circles. Ionizing gamma radiation causes aurora effects, which is consistent with neon like lights emanating from the vicinity of AMMO, where the color of the lights is determined by the emission spectrum of different atomic elements and molecules in the surrounding air.

From the observed properties of AMMO, either antimatter repels matter or matter and antimatter neutralize the gravitational affects of each other, meaning that antimatter is frictionless in a gravitational field (see NASA STS-80 artifacts). This property is a goldmine for antimatter technology. Frictionless or buoyant vehicles derived from antimatter technology could greatly reduce the energy consumption of transportation on Earth and from Earth into Earth orbit.

At this stage the existence of antimatter meteors is speculative, supported by circumstantial evidence. The up side is low energy transportation. Confirmation of antimatter would undermine UFO skeptics and extraterrestrial believers alike, as well as big bang cosmologists, who advocate a disparity between matter and antimatter.

An urban myth claims that only an extraterrestrial invasion could unify the human race. How about an extraterrestrial opportunity? Harnessing antimatter technology would change the future of transportation. Just imagine the energy efficient delivery of satellites into orbit. Air transportation would never fall out of the sky and crash again, because that would defy the law of antigravity. Antimatter harvested from outer space, safely outside Earth’s atmosphere, will seed a new industry of practical applications for antimatter technology.

NASA needs to accept a new mission to determine whether the existence of antimatter can be confirmed by observations. When verified NASA needs to capture antimatter and work to make it commercially available. Antimatter would need to be sealed in a vacuum surrounded by an insulating layer of matter to embed in future manmade vehicles.