Matter iphantsi komtsalane womxhuzulane. Ulwalamano oluqhelekileyo luka-Einstein lwaluqikelele ukuba i-antimatter nayo kufuneka iwele eMhlabeni ngendlela efanayo. Nangona kunjalo, akukho bungqina bokulinga ngokuthe ngqo ukuza kuthi ga ngoku ukubonisa oko. Uvavanyo lwe-ALPHA eCERN luvavanyo lokuqala oluthe ngqo oluye lwabona isiphumo se bekukubi kwintshukumo ye-antimatter. Izinto ezifunyanisiweyo zikhuphe 'i-antigravity' ecekisekayo kwaye zibambe oko bekukubi iimpembelelo kungakhathaliseki kunye ne-antimatter ngendlela efanayo. Kwaphawulwa ukuba iiathom ze-antihydrogen (i-positron ukujikeleza i-antiproton) yawela emhlabeni ngendlela efanayo neeathom zehydrogen.
I-Antimatter yenziwe nge-antiparticles (i-positrons, i-antiprotons kunye ne-antinutrons zi-antiparticles ze-electron, iiprotoni kunye ne-neutron). Matter kunye ne-antimatter zitshabalalisana ngokupheleleyo xa zidibana zishiya ngasemva amandla.
Matter kwaye i-antimatter yadalwa ngezixa ezilinganayo ekuqaleni yonke nguBig Bang. Nangona kunjalo, asifumani i-antimatter ngoku kwindalo (into-antimatter asymmetry). Yinto eyongamele. Ngenxa yoko, ukuqonda iipropathi kunye nokuziphatha kwe-antimatter akuphelelanga. Ngokubhekiselele kwisiphumo somxhuzulane kwintshukumo ye-antimatter, ithiyori ngokubanzi yonxulumano yayixele kwangaphambili ukuba i-antimatter nayo kufuneka iphenjelelwe ngendlela efanayo, kodwa kwakungekho mvavanyo woqwalaselo oluthe ngqo lokuqinisekisa oko. Abanye bade baphikisa ukuba izinto ezingafaniyo (eziphantsi kotsalo lomxhuzulane), antimatter inokuba phantsi kwe-'antigravity' ecekisekayo ekhutshwe ziziphumo ezipapashwe kutshanje zovavanyo lwe-CERN's ALPHA.
Inyathelo lokuqala yaba kukwenza ii-anti-athom elabhoratri kunye nokuzilawula ukuze ziphephe ukudibana nezinto kunye nokutshabalalisa. Kulula kunokuvakala kodwa kuthathe ngaphezulu kwamashumi amathathu eminyaka ukwenza oko. Abaphandi baye bajonga ii-athomu ze-antihydrogen njengenkqubo efanelekileyo yokufunda ukuziphatha okutsalayo kwe-antimatter kuba ii-athomu ze-antihydrogen zingathathi hlangothi zombane kwaye zizinzileyo ze-antimatter. Iqela lophando lathatha i-antiprotons ehlawuliswa kakubi eveliswa kwibhubhoratri kwaye yazibophelela nge-positrons ehlawulwe ngokufanelekileyo ukusuka kumthombo we-sodium-22 ukudala ii-athomu ze-antihydrogen ezathi emva koko zivalelwe kwi-trap magnetic ukukhusela ukutshatyalaliswa kunye ne-athomu yento. Umgibe wamagnetic wacinywa ukuvumela iiathom ze-antihydrogen ukuba zibaleke ngendlela elawulwayo kwisixhobo esithe nkqo i-ALPHA-g kunye neendawo ezithe nkqo apho ii-athom ze-antihydrogen zibhangisa ngento ezilinganisiweyo. Abaphandi babamba amaqela eeathom ze-antihydrogen ezimalunga ne-100. Baye bakhulula kancinane ii-antiatom zeqela elinye kwithuba lemizuzwana engama-20 ngokunciphisa imagnethi ephezulu nasezantsi. Baye bafumanisa ukuba umlinganiselo we-anti-athom ekhoyo ngaphezulu nasezantsi ihambelana neziphumo zee-athomu ezivela kukulinganisa. Kwaye kwafunyaniswa ukuba ukukhawuleza kwe-athomu ye-antihydrogen kwakuhambelana nokukhawuleza okwaziwayo ngenxa bekukubi phakathi kwezinto kunye noMhlaba ucebisa ukuba i-antimatter ixhomekeke kumtsalane ofanayo njengezinto kwaye hayi kuyo nayiphi na 'i-antigravity' ecekisekayo.
Oku kufunyanisiweyo sisiganeko esibalulekileyo kuphononongo lokuziphatha komxhuzulane we-antimatter.
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Imithombo:
- I-CERN 2023. Iindaba - umfuniselo we-ALPHA eCERN ubona impembelelo yomxhuzulane kwi-antimatter. Ithunyelwe nge-27 Septemba 2023. Ifumaneka apha https://www.home.cern/news/news/physics/alpha-experiment-cern-observes-influence-gravity-antimatter Ifikeleleke nge-27 Septemba 2023.
- Anderson, EK, Baker, CJ, Bertsche, W. et al. Ukuqwalaselwa kwefuthe lomxhuzulane kwintshukumo ye-antimatter. Indalo 621, 716-722 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06527-1
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