Angels, Demons and Antimatter

Angels and Demons, the latest Dan Brown film, is about to be released in cinemas. In it, Brown has conjured up the alarming vision of a secret weapon poised to wreak mass destruction: antimatter. Of course, Brown’s portrayal of science is light-hearted – but, perhaps surprisingly, antimatter does actually exist.

Exeter’s Professor Frank Close, Fellow in Physics, has recently released a book debunking the antimatter myths beloved by science fiction writers, and telling the real story of these “looking-glass particles”, exploring questions that go right back to the first moments after the Big Bang.

Professor Close talked to the New Scientist this month about the five greatest mysteries of antimatter. His book “Antimatter” is available from Amazon.