Concepts, Problems, & Opportunities for use of Annihilation Energy:

An Annotated Briefing on Near-Term RDT&E to Assess Feasibility

RAND Note N-2302-AF/RC

B. W. Augenstein

Under Air Force auspices, in the summer of 1983 Rand examined thepossibilities for exploiting the high energy release resulting frommatter-antimatter annihilation. The resultant briefing notes andadditional documentation were widely distributed in the fall of thatyear.

Although one can be skeptical of realizing near~term practicalembodiments for using annihilation energies, well-defined steps(analysis and experiment) can lead to an early and higher confidenceresolution of uncertain utilization issues, at relatively low cost. Ithas been Rand's view that these steps are worth taking. Possibleoutcomes might range from (a) a finding that the implementationdifficulties are so severe as to make it fruitless at any near time topursue the exploitation of annihilation energy release to (b) a findingthat certain approaches are worth pursuing in a carefully posed RDT&Eprogram, to achieve useful applications goals at an acceptable neartime.

The Note, prepared for Project AIR FORCE under a conceptdevelopment project in the Technology Applications Program, withadditional support from Rand's own research funds, focuses on some RDT&Eproblems that need to be addressed to resolve or reduce uncertainties.Most of the basic scientific issues are not explored here at length;however, a detailed reference list is appended for the interestedreader. The Note emphasize the fundamental importance of the verylarge classes of interesting research efforts underlying applicationsgoals, and the anticipated rapid growth of science needs for antimatterat low energies. Two major planned experiments, by teams headed by theUniversity of Washington and by the Los Alamos National Laboratory,reflect a portion of the fast evolution of scientific interest in theUnited States and Europe.

Much of the material in this Note emphasizing the need forcarefully posed RDT&E programs was first presented to a small reviewcommittee chaired by Dr. Keith Brueckner (University of California atSan Diego) in June 1984.