Why This Stuff Costs $2700 Trillion Per Gram - Antimatter at CERN

There’s a factory in Europe that makes antimatter! It’s the rarest, most expensive, and potentially the most dangerous material on earth. Scientists don’t know why this material is so rare. Anti-atoms took 72 years after we discovered antimatter to make. Why?

Thanks to CERN, Elise Wursten, Loïc Bommersbach and Sarah Charley

Creator/Host: Dianna Cowern
Editor: Levi Butner
Research & Writing: Sophia Chen & Dianna & Imogen Ashford

Sources:
Current estimate of Antimatter, courtesy of Elise:
Stefan Ulmer made a back-of-the-envelope calculation based on energy and power consumption. The explanation goes as follows:
1. CERN produces 3e7 antiprotons per AD cycle or about 1e15 per year
2. This is about 1e15*1.67e-27kg = 1.67 nanogram per year
3. 1 gram of antiprotons has an energy (E=mc^2) of 9e13 Joule
4. The efficiency of the antiproton production process is 1e-9, so you need a billion times more energy: 9e22 Joule
5. The cost of power for CERN is 1kWh = 3.6e6 Joule = 0.1 euro
6. So that would make 0.1/3.6e6*9e22 = 2.5e15 euro
7. And it would take CERN 6e8 years

Questions at CERN

Creating Antihidrogen:

[TheNazmi]

Meanwhile in the antimatter universe, someone is trying to find matter

[rodrigovda]

What physics girl says: "the most expensive material"

What I think: printer ink

[Ken-pvzu]

My antimatter dealer only charges me 20 dollars a gram.

[damongray]

I haven't been to CERN, but I got to watch calibration at RHIC. Watching them fire up a particle beam and focus it was truly amazing. Not many people ever get to see an accelerator in action.

[zakyjaafar]

Pretty expensive for something that doesn't matter...

[pierredelecto]

The first gram is free that's how they get you hooked!

[HigherPlanes]

Rick: Best I can do is $200. You gotta remember, it's going to sit in my shop for a long time

[daveschlom]

Keep reminding of us how special Dianna is. I hope everyone rallies around her at the least with good wishes.

[besmart]

YOU: Matter


I just wanted you to know

[willparker]

So you’re telling me humans started somewhere in the woods and got to this

[RGBY-tvhg]

Ah yes, now I get it. Comparing the moon to the mass of fish is what I needed

[JensenPlaysMC]

Got accepted for an internship at CERN, working on the LheC/LHC Interaction Region!!! So excitedd

[cee_ves]

“The amount of antimatter you’d need to blow up the moon is equivalent to all the mass of the fish in the sea”
Hey Ferb, I know what we’re gonna do today

[Master_Therion]

If a grad student did their thesis about antimatter, would it be an antithesis?

[muxeyy]

Rappers are gonna be flexing with antimatter watches in 100 years.

[Rameezfujistar]

Make sure this doesn't fall in wrong hands! #matter of concern

[monad_tcp]

so enough anti-fish would destroy the moon.


I'll keep that in mind.

[nnex]

GameStop values it at $20 of in-store credit

[Yora]

I love that the facility has "Antimatter Factory" written on the site.

[rustyshackleford]

I love Diannas enthusiasm and sense of wonder and that sparkle in her eyes…

Sending love and hoping every day she regains as much strength and energy as possible
❤️✊❤️✊❤️