GS PrelimsScience and TechnologyUniverse and Space Technology2012

A team of scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory including those from India created the heaviest anti-matter (anti-helium nucleus). What is/are the implication/ implications of the creation of anti-matter? 1. It will make mineral prospecting and oil. exploration easier and cheaper. 2. It will help probe the possibility of the existence of stars and galaxies made of anti-matter, 3. It will help understand the evolution of the universe. Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

A

1 only

B

2 and 3 only

C

3 only

D

1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: Option B

Explanation

1. The creation and study of anti-matter, particularly complex forms like the anti-helium nucleus at facilities like Brookhaven National Laboratory, is primarily aimed at fundamental physics research. 2. Statement 1 is incorrect. There is no known direct application or implication of anti-matter creation that would make mineral prospecting or oil exploration easier or cheaper. These processes rely on geological and geophysical techniques. 3. Statement 2 is correct. The Standard Model of cosmology predicts that matter and anti-matter should have been created in equal amounts in the early universe. However, the observable universe is overwhelmingly made of matter. Studying the properties of anti-matter helps scientists understand this asymmetry and probe the possibility, however remote, of the existence of large structures like stars and galaxies made of anti-matter. 4. Statement 3 is correct. Understanding why the universe is dominated by matter rather than anti-matter (the Baryon asymmetry problem) is crucial to understanding the evolution of the universe. Creating and precisely measuring the properties of anti-matter particles and nuclei provides critical tests for theories explaining this asymmetry and the fundamental laws governing the universe's development after the Big Bang.

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