What would happen if we collided uranium 238 with super fast protons at the LHC?

Question

Would we force start a fission reaction, even if it’s not self sustaining?

In: Physics

Answer 1

We would either split the uranium (a single fission event – not super interesting) or produce an atom of Neptunium-239 which decays on the order of days.

Answer 2

Sure. Fast neutrons are much more likely to fission a U-238 nucleus than to be absorbed. But even more likely to just bounce off.

Answer 3

Alternatively, nothing could happen. Even in standard fission with neutrons being the “cue balls,” if they’re going too fast it’s possible they slip right through everything without hitting anything. This is why reactors have a moderator (water or graphite), to intentionally slow down the neutrons a bit which makes them more likely to hit something.