Related Experiment Videos
The CERN Large Hadron Collider as a tool to study high-energy density matter
Physical Review Letters
|May 21, 2005
Summary
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will fire powerful proton beams at a copper target. Simulations show the initial proton bunches create high-energy-density matter states.
Area of Science:
- High-energy physics
- Materials science under extreme conditions
Background:
- The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN accelerates proton beams to 7 TeV.
- Each beam comprises 2808 bunches, with 1.15x10^11 protons per bunch, totaling 3x10^14 protons and 362 MJ of energy per beam.
Purpose of the Study:
- To simulate the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic response of a solid copper target irradiated by an LHC proton beam.
- To investigate the potential for creating exotic states of matter under extreme energy densities.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations using a 2D hydrodynamic code.
- Modeling the interaction of high-intensity proton bunches with a copper target.
Main Results:
- The first few hundred proton bunches deposit a specific energy of 400 kJ/g.
- This energy deposition induces exotic states of high energy density in the copper target.
Conclusions:
- LHC proton beams can create extreme states of matter.
- The findings have implications for understanding matter under unprecedented conditions.