Particles and antiparticles

Abstract

In this paper, we review the concept of charge and chirality for particles and antiparticles. We point out that the commonly accepted equivalence of particles and antiparticles—with difference only in the opposite signs of their charges, which follows from the CPT invariance—is valid only for free non-chiral particles. We point out that the the equivalence of particles and antiparticles is violated if the weak interaction is turned on. We also discuss that within the standard model even free neutrinos are exceptions, as they can be produced only in chiral states. We conclude that in spite of a long history of antiparticles, interesting theoretical and experimental challenges remain in their complete understanding.