Large Hadron Collider at CERN: Beams generating high-energy-density matter

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics and Engineering
• High-Energy Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerates proton beams to high energies (7 TeV/c).
• Accidental loss of an entire beam poses a significant risk of equipment damage.
• Understanding energy deposition and material response is crucial for safety and potential applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic response of a solid copper target irradiated by an LHC proton beam.
• To assess the potential damage to equipment from a complete beam loss at a single point.
• To explore the possibility of using such events for studying high-energy density matter.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code for proton energy deposition.
• Two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations using the BIG2 code to model target response.
• Analysis of particle cascades and shock wave propagation within the copper target.

Main Results:

• Proton energy deposition, initially calculated to be within 1m, extends to 35m due to shock wave-induced density reduction.
• The copper target is severely damaged, transforming into a high-energy density (HED) matter state.
• The inner target region becomes a strongly coupled plasma with uniform physical conditions.

Conclusions:

• The phenomenon of extended energy deposition due to shock waves must be considered in designing sacrificial beam stoppers.
• The LHC can be utilized for fundamental studies of high-energy density states in matter.
• These findings have implications for accelerator safety and advanced materials research.