NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/rec/arts/sf/science/3552

Text File | 1992-11-21 | 1.6 KB | 37 lines

Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Path: sparky!uunet!munnari.oz.au!newsroom.utas.edu.au!bruny.cc.utas.edu.au!u894793
From: [e-mail] (T. Little)
Subject: Re: Non-nuclear explosive
Message-ID: <u894793.722357966@bruny>
Keywords: antimatter molecular containment
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: University of Tasmania, Australia.
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <u894793.721935652@bruny> <[e-mail]>
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 14:59:26 GMT
Lines: 24

[e-mail] (Peter K. Suk) writes:

[>I wrote:]
>>I don't know whether a hydrogen ion would react (it has no electrons),
>>but I would strongly suspect that it does...

>What does the net charge of the carbon atoms in a buckyball look like
>from the _inside_?  If the net charge looks negative, then an anti-proton
>could survive if the surrounding buckyballs were at a low enough
>temperature.  However, in all likelihood the net charge is positive.
>Anyone know for sure?

I don't think a static configuration of charges is going to keep the ion
in the center.  Normal ions would be confined mostly by Pauli exclusion of
it electrons from the vicinity of those of the carbon atoms.  Due to the
symmetry, the field at the center must be zero, but I'm not sure about the
rest.  In the case of spherical symmetry, it is zero throughout.

Hmm - this means that positive hydrogen ions shouldn't be confinable by
buckyballs if my hypothesis is correct, a testable prediction.

Does anyone know if H+ ions are confinable?
--
T. Little   a.k.a.   [e-mail]