Re: Matter traveling backward in time

From: mark@unicorn.com
Date: Fri Aug 20 1999 - 12:27:16 MDT


Clint O'Dell [clintodell@hotmail.com] wrote:
>Let's assume, for the moment, that there is matter that travels backward in
>time. We would never see it except for perhaps, maybe, a second. It would
>suddenly appear then suddenly disapear.

Uh, nope. I've never been too fond of this version of antimatter, but here's
how it works.

1. A particle of normal matter is moving forwards through time, minding its
   own business, when it's involved in a collision.
2. That collision 'bounces' the particle back in time. It continues on, but
   now it's moving backwards rather than forwards, so appears like antimatter
   to us.
3. The particle is involved in another collision, which bounces it forwards
   in time. Quite possibly it's now back on the same track as it first
   started, until it gets back to the first collision.

So what we see in that case is a particle interaction in which two particles
are created, one of matter, and one of antimatter. After a short time, these
two particles collide and annihilate, and some other particles are produced
from the annihilation energy. But to the particle in question, it just
appears to be going around an infinite loop, where its time direction is
reversed at each collision point.

    Mark



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