Summary
Hannes Alfvén's *Worlds-Antiworlds* argues that antimatter is not merely a laboratory curiosity but a fundamental component of the cosmos, proposing a symmetric universe where matter and antimatter coexist in equal amounts. Alfvén contends that galaxies and clusters may be composed of either matter or antimatter, separated by boundary layers where annihilation occurs, producing observable radiation. He challenges the Big Bang theory, instead advocating for a plasma-based, steady-state cosmology where matter and antimatter are continuously created and annihilated. The book presents specific mechanisms for how such a universe could form and maintain its structure, including the role of electromagnetic forces in separating the two types of matter. A reader takes away a provocative alternative to mainstream cosmology, grounded in Alfvén's expertise in plasma physics, and a concrete model for how antimatter could explain cosmic phenomena like gamma-ray bursts and cosmic rays.
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Key concepts
- Ambipolar diffusion — The process by which matter and antimatter plasmas separate in a magnetic field, preventing immediate annihilation and allowing distinct regions to form.
- Annihilation boundary layers — Thin regions between matter and antimatter domains where particles and antiparticles collide, converting mass into energy and producing high-energy photons.
- Klein-Alfvén cosmology — A steady-state model where the universe is infinite and eternal, with matter and antimatter continuously created from electromagnetic fields, avoiding a singular beginning.
- Plasma universe — Alfvén's concept that cosmic structures are governed by electromagnetic forces in ionized gas, rather than solely by gravity, enabling the coexistence of matter and antimatter.
- Symmetry principle — The assumption that the universe contains equal amounts of matter and antimatter, reflecting a fundamental symmetry in nature that must be preserved on a cosmic scale.