Particle Accelerators - What, Why and How?

What do you think particle accelerators are?

Particle accelerators were created around the 1930s for the purpose of researching the structure of the nucleus in atoms. Particle accelerators are extremely large devices spanning to sizes greater than 20 kilometers in circumference. These large devices are used to accelerate particles at extreme speeds and collide them into one another. These particles collide in beams and are controlled with the power of electromagnetic fields. The particle accelerator uses a large amount of energy for tasks such as accelerating particles with electric fields and using electricity to make magnetic fields that can control and aim the beams of particles.

How are they being accelerated at near light speeds is what you must be thinking. Already stated, they are being controlled by electromagnetic fields and are propelled by electric fields. How it works is that the frequencies on the electric fields are around the accelerator change between a positive pulses to a negative pulses, these are called “radiofrequency cavities” and these devices are spaced along the accelerator at certain distances. This causes the particles to be pushed in the accelerator multiple times and is the reason why latest particle accelerators are in circular shapes. Precautions are taken so that the travelling beam of protons are not to hit any gas atoms in the collider, a vacuum in a metal pipe is used to allow the beam to travel through. To bend the beam’s pathway, large magnets (dipole magnets) are used to keep the particles in a circular motion.

You’re probably wondering why they are being accelerated. CERN, a particle physics researching organization, is the owner of the largest particle accelerator created so far, which is called the Large Hadron Collider. They use particle accelerators to study the behavior of the particles so they can extrapolate the data gained towards the fundamental particle and the creation of our universe. Particle detectors are set along the collision point to record all data and from the data, particles are found. From their uses of the accelerator, they have found many particles that are essential to proving theories on matter. An example of the particles found would be the Higgs Boson.