How do particle accelerators work and what are they useful for
In: 1
particle accelerators use magnets to push subatomic particles up to very high speeds. they then crash these particles into each other. this is useful because of the equivalence of mass and energy. when the particles collide they release that energy but not as just a random mess. everything at the subatomic level is quantized and so particles can only exist at very specific energy levels. if they have an energy budget sufficient to the job, then they should see predicted particles result from the collision, or not, and on to the next theory. the accelerators themselves need to keep getting bigger so they can reach higher energy levels.
Latest Answers