Antimatter- In our continuing series, Govert Schilling looks at antimatter, the strange counterpart to most of the matter filling our Universe

Particles and corresponding antiparticles are very much alike, except they have opposite electrical charges. For instance, the antiparticle of the electron - known as the positron - has the same tiny mass, but while electrons carry a negative electrical charge, positrons are positively charged.

- By Govert Schilling

When you read the word 'antimatter' in the title, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we've slipped into the realms of science fiction. Chances are that you first encountered the concept of antimatter in Star Trek, where it's used to propel spaceships. Or maybe you've read Dan Brown's novel Angels and Demons, in which antimatter makes the ultimate bomb. If so, it may come as a surprise that antimatter really does exist.

So, what is it? Simply put, every type of elementary particle in nature has its own antiparticle. Particles and corresponding antiparticles are very much alike, except they have opposite electrical charges. For instance, the antiparticle of the electron - known as the positron - has the same tiny mass, but while electrons carry a negative electrical charge, positrons are positively charged.

Carl Anderson proved the existence of antiparticles in experiments 1932.

English physicist Paul Dirac predicted the existence of antimatter back in 1928, based on his quantum theory for the motions of electrons. Just four years later, his American colleague Carl Anderson discovered positrons in his cosmic ray experiments. Both scientists received the physics Nobel Prize for their respective breakthroughs.

Antimatter is created in some nuclear decay processes, in the form of negatively charged antiprotons. In fact, the decay of naturally occurring radioactive potassium atoms in a banana produces one antiproton every 75 minutes or so. Particle colliders like CERN's Large Hadron Collider in Geneva also regularly produce antiparticles. When energy is converted into mass through Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc2, you always end up with a matter/ antimatter particle pair.