Making matter out of light: high-power laser simulations point the way

Phys.org  May 29, 2020
An international team of researchers (USA – UC San Diego, UT Austin, Johns Hopkins University, France, Romania, Germany) aimed a high-power laser at a target to generate a magnetic field as strong as that of a neutron star. This field generates gamma ray emissions that collide to produce, for the very briefest instant, pairs of matter and antimatter particles. The current method used only light to produce matter. This method closely mimics conditions during the first minutes of the universe, offering an improved model for researchers looking to learn more about this critical time period. The experiment could also provide more chances to study antimatter particles…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE