How The Large Hadron Collider Works
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. In addition, it is also the most complex investigational facility ever built. The accelerator rests in a subterranean tunnel at the France-Switzerland border. This instrument was created for physicists to collect data on particle physics to test theories on particle mass, and theories that surround the Big Bang. Scientists and engineers using the LHC discovered the Higgs boson particle which provided knowledge of supersymmetric theories. These are theories that have links to gravitational effects on the general mathematical symmetry with relation to bosons and fermions. Bosons are particles with zero or integral spin while fermions are particles with odd half integer spins.
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When the LHC is running, there are two extremely high-energy hadron particle beams traveling close to light speed but in opposite directions. These particle are made to collide at specific locations where the resulting impact may be detected. To guide these beams in a circle, superconducting electromagnets surround the beam pipes.
In this short, 6 minute video, an interactive and informative narration of the particle accelerators process is explained.
This video is taken from YouTube, it can best explain how the LHC works for those who learn visually.
Superconducting Electromagnets
The LHC uses superconducting magnets to force the particles to accelerate in a circle - as opposed to the straight line, which they do naturally. There are about 1,232 main dipole magnets which are about 15 meters long and weighing in at 35 tons. These superconducting magnets produce a powerful magnetic field due to the 11,000 amperes that energizes each. This magnetic field strength is achieved by using coiled up Niobium-titanium wire. With other magnets, current flows will either melt or burn up the wire due to the electrical resistance. The metals used to produce superconducting magnets will produce very little electrical resistance to a current flow, thereby a persistent magnetic field is achieved. However, even with these abilities of the magnets with a power supply, the right amount of power, in amperes, to get the LHC to operate causes these magnets to super-heat which requires a cooling process. The temperature decrease also helps electrical flow, considering a higher temperature usually has more thermal vibrations, which in turn makes it harder for electrons to flow through. The pipeline encompasses a refrigeration system which contains liquid helium to cool the magnets to a temperature of 1.9 degrees Kelvin. This temperature is colder than outer space at 2.7 degrees Kelvin.
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While the dipole magnets allow the particles to move in a circle by enacting a force onto them, the insertion magnets are the ones inside the detectors that take over the particle beam. Before entering the detectors, these particles must be squeezed close together when they finally collide with the other circulating beam. These insertion magnets are stationed at four different detectors and are separated into two primary regions. Each region tightens the particle beam to a diameter of 16 micrometers, and then the beams collide in the actual detector. After the collision, additional magnets are used to measure the particles’ fragments based on the charge and the bends in the magnetic field post-collision. These charged particles that are deflected by the magnetic field in the detector create a quantifiable deflection which can be used to calculate their momentum. The basis of this analysis allows physicists to study and test subatomic particles and theories that surround them. This LCH activity has allowed for the groundbreaking Higgs boson particle discovery, referenced in the “Information about the LCH” section above.