An accidental prediction: The saga of antimatter's discovery

Abstract

For my Modern Physics class, we were required to write a final paper on a topic of choice. I chose to explore the discovery of antimatter. As I wrote the draft, I felt both fascinated and overwhelmed. The story and the science behind it were exciting, but understanding their beauty required a lot of background knowledge. How could I explain a semester's worth of modern physics to a general audience, all within the span of a 10-page paper? I tried my best to distill complicated concepts into precise ideas and sentences, and hope that my finished work conveys the excitement I feel about antimatter's discovery - and physics in general - to readers.