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Old June 7th 16, 02:51 PM posted to sci.physics,sci.astro,rec.arts.sf.science,sci.space.policy
Robert Clark[_5_]
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Posts: 245
Default Stephen Hawking's Interstellar Spaceship Proposal (And More!)

Good question. Positronium is not an exact analogue of a hydrogen atom since
it consists of an electron and a positron (anti-electron) orbiting each
other while the hydrogen atom has an electron orbiting around the much more
massive proton. The highly advanced theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED)
mentioned in the article describes how these states are stable or unstable.

BTW, the production of antihydrogen is quite low:

CERN snags 38 antihydrogen atoms in magnetic trap.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/...ydrogen-atoms/
by Alexander B. Fry - Nov 17, 2010 11:11pm EST

But theoretical work may allow the production rate to be ramped up:

Physicists find ways to increase antihydrogen production.
May 20, 2015 by Lisa Zyga
http://phys.org/news/2015-05-physici...roduction.html


Bob Clark

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"ClutterFreak" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 29 May 2016 09:19:21 -0400, Robert Clark
wrote:

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/...zzle-is-solved


Why same thing doesn't happend to hydrogen?
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