If a nuclear reaction converts matter into energy, what converts energy into matter?

Question

If a nuclear reaction converts matter into energy, what converts energy into matter?

In: Physics

Answer 1

I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding in this question. When Einstein published E=mc^2, he was saying there is an equivalence relationship between mass and energy, not that you can convert between them. Mass and energy are the same thing.

Edit: That aside, I found articles about physicists creating electrons and positrons from smashing photons together in 2014. Seems a bit strange, but physics frequently is.