Muons are heavier than electrons, so they lose less energy in matter. In addition, pion decays in the upper atmosphere mainly produce muons, not electrons.Why are muons a background but not electrons?
Well, neutrinos can reach them, too, but they are not an issue as their reaction probability is so tiny.Cosmic muons are nice to align the detector elements before the first collisions are available - they go in a straight line, and you can see which detector elements are hit and find out where they are based on that.Is it just muons that can reach the detectors
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that originate from outer space and can sometimes collide with the LHC's beams. These collisions can create secondary particles that can interfere with the LHC's operations and potentially damage its components.
While cosmic rays can cause disruptions in the LHC's operations, the facility is equipped with robust safety measures to prevent any accidents. These include shielding and monitoring systems that can quickly detect and mitigate any potential risks.
The LHC has several layers of protection against cosmic rays. First, there are physical barriers and shielding in place to reduce the number of cosmic rays that can reach the facility. Additionally, there are advanced detection and monitoring systems that can identify and mitigate any potential disruptions caused by cosmic rays.
While cosmic rays can interfere with the LHC's operations, they also provide valuable insights into the nature of high-energy particles. Scientists use the data from cosmic ray collisions to better understand the behavior and properties of particles that are similar to the ones produced by the LHC.
The LHC has sophisticated monitoring systems that can detect the presence of cosmic rays during experiments. If cosmic rays are detected, the LHC can pause the experiment and resume once the interference has subsided. Additionally, scientists can also filter out any data that may have been affected by cosmic rays during the data analysis process.