The absence of antimatter in the universe is a major puzzle for physicists from "summary" of Antimatter by Frank Close
The question of why the universe is predominantly made up of matter rather than antimatter has puzzled physicists for decades. Antimatter is the mirror image of matter, with particles having the same mass but opposite charge. When matter and antimatter meet, they annihilate each other in a burst of energy. In the early universe, matter and antimatter should have been created in equal amounts during the Big Bang. However, if this were the case, they would have annihilated each other, leaving behind only radiation. Yet, we see a universe filled with matter, from stars and galaxies to planets and people. The absence of antimatter raises fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the laws of physics that govern it. Scientists have proposed various theories to explain this imbalance, such as differences in the behavior of matter and antimatter, known as CP-violation. Experiments at facilities like CERN have been conducted to study the properties of antimatter and search for clues to this cosmic mystery. Yet, the puzzle remains unsolved, pushing researchers to explore new ideas and methods to unravel the secrets of the universe. The quest to understand why antimatter is so scarce in the universe is not only a scientific endeavor but also a philosophical one. It forces us to confront the nature of reality and our place in the cosmos. As we continue to probe the mysteries of the universe, the enigma of the missing antimatter stands as a challenge to our understanding of the fundamental forces that shape the world around us.
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