Fast matter-antimatter separation via Weibel-induced plasma filamentation.

Mathiak, Oliver; Reichwein, Lars; Pukhov, Alexander · Phys Rev E · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We study the separation of matter and antimatter driven by the growth of the Weibel instability in a matter-antimatter plasma. The plasma under consideration comprises protons and antiprotons initially at rest, along with a relativistic stream of leptons (electrons and positrons). This stream is maintained by an external force, potentially originating from phenomena such as a photon wind. Our findings reveal the rapid onset of a Weibel-type instability, leading to a distinct separation of matter and antimatter. Results from our particle-in-cell simulations are compared with an analytical model based on the linearized magnetohydrodynamics equations.