Pet scan of the brain of a physicist

Everyday Antimatter

Antimatter - a mirror image of matter - is an idea so revolutionary that even its discoverer initially feared its consequences. It annihilates with ordinary matter, disappearing in a puff of energy - the ultimate scientific experiment.

This annihilation is a compelling scenario for science fiction. The first example was robots with brains having antimatter pathways.

Now antimatter is used every day in medicine for brain scans.

Transforming all its mass into pure energy, antimatter is the perfect fuel. Star Trek's faster-than-light science-fiction spaceships use antimatter power, but research projects have also investigated the use of antimatter fuel for real.