Astrophysicists have discovered a thin band of antiprotons that envelop the Earth . The astonishing finding, described in the 'Astrophysical Journal Letters', confirms the theory that predicts that the magnetic field of our planet could trap antimatter .
The antiprotons were detected by the Pamela satellite (an acronym for Equipment for the Exploration of Antimatter and Studies of Light Core Astrophysics), launched in 2006 to study the nature of high-energy particles from the Sun and beyond our Solar system.
The new belt is "the most abundant source of antiprotons near the Earth", as stated by Alessandro Bruno, from the University of Bari (Italy), a co-author of the research. As Bruno and his colleagues explain, the study shows that antiproton bands, analogous to the Van Allen belts – areas of the Earth's magnetosphere where charged particles are concentrated – retain antimatter until it interacts with normal matter. the atmosphere, especially at low latitudes, and "annihilate" in a flash of light. Antimatter particles could also be a fuel source for future spacecraft .
