Page 54 - The Miracle in the Atom
P. 54
ACCELERATED PARTICLES
Accelerators and Colliders
Studying the particles that are from the 1950's on, made very
the building blocks of matter is high-energy collisions possi-
possible by investigating parti- ble. The study of these colli-
cles that are millions of times sions by advanced detector
smaller than the atom. systems gave way to the dis-
Research on these extremely covery that protons and neu-
minute particles may only be
trons, known as the basis of
carried out using very enor-
matter, have a sub-structure
mous and complex particle
composed of particles called
physics experimental appara-
quarks. Measurements made at
tuses. Such highly complex
high energy levels gave scien-
experiments can only be con-
tists the opportunity to study
trolled with extensive use of
the composition of matter at
computers.
distances as small as one hun-
High-energy particle physics is
a field of science that studies dredth of the radius of the pro-
the building blocks of matter ton. Accelerator laboratories
and the interactions between are found only in a few centres
them. Recent experiments car- in the world as their foundation
ried out by the help of new and operation are very costly.
high technology allow us to The most important ones are
rapidly expand our knowledge CERN (Geneva), DESY (Ham-
on the composition of matter. burg), Fermilab-FNAL (Chica-
Research on particle physics is go) and SLC (California). High-
conducted in particle accelera- energy physicists participate in
tor laboratories kilometres in experimental studies in these
diameter. In particle accelera- centres in large groups and
tors, charged particles – most-
study the secrets of the atom.
ly protons and electrons – are
Among these laboratories, the
accelerated to great velocities
SLC is 3 km in diameter and
in an electromagnetic field and
CERN 27 km. However, the
directed into a cloud chamber.
champion in the competition
The accelerated particles are
for size is the US project SSC
then made to collide with either
which is being constructed in
fixed targets or with each
the centre of Texas in the USA,
other. The particles shattered
as a result of these collisions with a perimeter diameter of
are examined by various detec- about 85 kilometres. The cost
tor systems. of the machinery increases in
The accelerator and detector direct proportion to size (For
technologies, whose sophisti- SSC, this figure will be approxi-
cation increasingly progressed mately 6 billion dollars). 20
