Local News in Brief : $400 Million Sought for Antimatter Study

Scientists believe a $400-million investment might let them harness antimatter and start developing lighter, faster spacecraft and better ways to diagnose disease, the RAND Corp. said Monday.

“We are on the threshold of important advances in the basic science of antimatter and its practical applications. But as tantalizingly near as that may be, the rewards cannot be realized without a program such as we are advocating,” said Bruno Augenstein, a physicist at the Santa Monica think tank.

For each type of subatomic particle in normal matter, there is a corresponding particle of antimatter that has the same mass but the opposite electric charge.

The RAND report stems from a 1987 meeting of 80 top experts who detailed experiments needed if they are to harness antimatter. Augenstein determined such research would cost about $400 million over 10 years.

But recognizing federal budget deficits, the Air Force-sponsored report stopped short of urging the $400-million expenditure. RAND said the government, universities and industry should spend $30 million jointly over three years.