The Large Hadron Collider (LCH) is the largest and most powerful particle worldwide. It is the latest addition to CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Everything to Know About The Large Hadron Collider (LCH)
The Large Hadron Collider became operational on Sept. 10, 2008, and it continues to be the newest component of the CERN accelerator complex. The letter "L" stands for "large," as it is the biggest accelerator in the world. It occupies a circular tunnel nearly 17 miles (27 kilometers) in circumference. The middle letter, "H," stands for "hadron," the generic name for composite LHC particles such as protons, which are made up of smaller particles called quarks. And letter "C stands for "collider" - the LHC accelerates two particle beams in opposite directions, and all the action occurs when the beams collide, per the CERN LHC fact sheet.
The LHC comprises a 27-kilometer ring of superconducting magnets and other accelerating elements that increases the energy of the particles as they travel through the system. Before they clash with the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams move at a speed that is almost as fast as light. The beams go in opposing directions through separate beam pipes inside two tubes held at an incredibly high vacuum.
A powerful magnetic field maintained by superconducting electromagnets guides them around the accelerator ring. The coils of a special electric cable are used to make the electromagnets function in a superconducting condition, efficiently conducting electricity with no resistance or energy loss.
The magnets must be cooled to 271.3°C, colder than space, to do this. Due to this, a large portion of the accelerator is linked to a liquid helium distribution system that cools the magnets and other supply services.
The beams are pointed at the accelerator using thousands of magnets of various types and sizes. These include 392 quadrupole magnets that each have a length of 5-7 meters and 1232 dipole magnets that have a length of 15 meters and bend the beams, respectively. Another magnet is employed to "squeeze" the particles closer together just before the collision to boost the likelihood of collisions.
Making the particles collide is comparable to firing two needles at a distance of 10 kilometers so they meet halfway. It is challenging due to their size and distance.
The CERN Control Center is where the accelerator's controls, services, and technological infrastructure are located. From here, four places around the accelerator ring - corresponding to ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb locations - are chosen for the LHC beams to clash.
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What Does the Large Hadron Collider Do?
Researchers use the LHC to test particle physics theories, notably those related to the "Standard Model." Certain concerns remain unsolved about dark matter and dark energy, even though the Standard Model can explain practically all results in particle physics. Why does matter outnumber antimatter? Such queries are intended to be addressed by the LHC.
The LHC can replicate the conditions inside a billionth of a second of the Big Bang. The massive accelerator enables researchers to collide high-energy subatomic particles and watch the resulting interactions controllably. The finding of the Higgs Boson in 2012 was one of the most significant LHC achievements.
News about exotic new subatomic particles is likely discovered at CERN using LHC.
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