However, the more energy the particles have, the more powerful the magnetic fields have to be to keep them in their circular orbit.Ī linear accelerator, on the contrary, is exclusively formed of accelerating structures since the particles do not need to be deflected, but they only benefit from a single acceleration pass. In theory, the energy could be increased over and over again. In a circular accelerator, the particles repeat the same circuit for as long as necessary, getting an energy boost at each turn. Radiofrequency cavities boost the particle beams, while magnets focus the beams and bend their trajectory. The particles emerging from the successive links in this decay chain are identified in the layers of the detector.Īccelerators use electromagnetic fields to accelerate and steer particles. Almost immediately they transform (or decay) into lighter particles, which in turn also decay. These massive particles only last in the blink of an eye, and cannot be observed directly. By measuring their properties, scientists increase our understanding of matter and of the origins of the Universe. These collisions produce massive particles, such as the Higgs boson or the top quark. Accelerated to a speed close to that of light, they collide with other protons. It boosts particles, such as protons, which form all the matter we know. The Large Hadron Collider is the most powerful accelerator in the world. This phenomenon is described by Einstein’s famous equation E=mc 2, according to which matter is a concentrated form of energy, and the two are interchangeable. When the particles are sufficiently energetic, a phenomenon that defies the imagination happens: the energy of the collision is transformed into matter in the form of new particles, the most massive of which existed in the early Universe. By studying these collisions, physicists are able to probe the world of the infinitely small. They are then smashed either onto a target or against other particles circulating in the opposite direction. An accelerator propels charged particles, such as protons or electrons, at high speeds, close to the speed of light.