1. Where no teacher has gone before: Antimatter
Megan Alvord, Selçuk Yusuf Arslan, Stefania Della Sciucca, Caroline Ribas, Gregoire Travaille
HST Programme 2019

2. Curriculum & classroom connections
Antimatter is not a typical topic found in most physics classrooms. However, this is a subject that fascinates and engages students and is worth tying in with the curriculum you already have.

3. Where can you introduce antimatter into your curriculum?
We can cover antiparticles during discussion of the atomic model and within radioactive decay units, allowing the incorporation into physics and chemistry.
In addition, when an antiparticle and particle meet, there is annihilation. Annihilation obeys the 3 rules that outline all of physics: the conservation of energy, the conservation of momentum, and the conservation of charge.
Antimatter physics usually requires abstraction ⇒ Link with ICT course so as to develop visual models addressing student misconceptions

4. Key ideas
Antimatter ⇒ not an accurate description for what we can actually produce and have remain stable ⇒ Antiparticles
After the Big Bang ⇒ our universe 50% particles and 50% antiparticles ⇒ Not confirmed by experiments For the most motivated and curious students ⇒ Symmetry issues explained outside of class
Natural source of antiparticles : Beta decay / Cosmic rays / Galaxy Cores
Positrons ALREADY used for medical imaging. In the future ⇒ heavy antiparticles emission in Radiotherapy
511 keV picture of the center of the Milky Way (taken by the Integral satellite - ESA)

5. To produce antiparticles (example: antihydrogen):
Produce them via head on collisions of elementary particles (first time in 2002)
Trap them (penning traps, 2010)
Cool them (the challenge right now: 0,1 K currently / 1 microK)

6. Potential students’ conceptions
It is just about science fiction
It is easy to produce and you can not put it in a bottle!
It is a weapon
Illustrate elements of the topic that might obstruct a successful introduction in the classroom
Antimatter is real, but it is not a weapon and it cannot be put into a bottle (yet…?)
Misconception: Matter and antimatter are attracted to each other
Misconception: any type of matter and any type of antimatter will annihilate. The correct thinking is that a proton will only annihilate an antiproton and only if they meet each other.
Where do these misconceptions come from? Use in science fiction, such as Star Trek (a crucial component of 23rd century starships), Angels and Demons, etc.

7. Potential students’ challenges
AM is real even if just in terms of antiparticles
Matter and antimatter do not attract each other but when they meet, annihilation occurs
Avoid the struggle about charges of particles within atom
Many students already struggle with the idea of charge. Introducing anti-particles and the fact that they have opposite charge of particles. Care should be taken to avoid further confusion. We do not want students walking around thinking an electron is positively charged!

8. Helpful material and resources
CERN
S’Cool Lab Ion Trap
Video and photos of Antimatter Factory
YouTube
Matter with antimatter
Minute Physics

9. Best practice example
Show a clip of antimatter from Angels and Demons movie or a Star Trek episode:
Have students work in small groups to answer the following:
How was antimatter showcased in the video?
What is correct with their interpretation?
What is incorrect with their interpretation?

10. Extension
Create a story in which the characters use antiparticles correctly:
Ideas include
Short story
Comic strip
Short video
Music video
Presentation
Movie storyboard

11. Using ICT to teach antimatter!

12. Be interdisciplinary - Use ICT!
· At the end of the lesson, students can design a drag&drop game with any block-based programming tools such as Kodu, Scratch, Minecraft Education Edition etc.
The students select a topic in below;
Hierarchy of matter
Explanation of Anti-Matter
Anti-Matters in LHC
Principle of Anti-Proton
Anti-Matter in Daily use

13. Thank you and Questions