Exotic matter

The term Exotic matter of particle physics is very broad, generally refers to particles that are not made ​​up of electrons, protons and neutrons, and in particular to hypothetical matter with negative energy density. The latter type of matter has not yet been seen to date.

For example, geophysicists try to explain unusual earthquake with the impacts of particles of exotic matter with masses in the nanogram range, the density of the equivalent of atomic nuclei. These particles are called because they are made ​​of strange quarks strangelets or strange quark nuggets. Based on theoretical considerations, this type was proposed by exotic matter in 1984 by Edward Witten.

The assumption that exotic matter in the interior of neutron stars 'll find as free quarks or as a Bose -Einstein condensate, has now proved to be very unlikely.

Exotic matter with negative energy density is no antimatter. Although it is possible at least for the fermion antiparticles formally described by negative energy states, however, are the antiparticles under this theory holes in the Dirac sea, ie lack of particles of negative energy, and thus have again positive energy. The Feynman - Stückelberg interpretation describes the antiparticles as particles of positive energy that move backwards through time. Wormholes and the fictional warp drive by Miguel Alcubierre (see superluminal ) require exotic matter of negative energy.