LHC Beam Energies: Highest Possible Energy

In summary: It's not unusual for a rack full of large commercial switches and routers to draw a kilowatt, and the computing farms that are used to store and analyze the data probably draw megawatts.In summary, the LHC was initially planned to handle 7 TeV per beam, with a total collision energy of 14 TeV. However, due to concerns about the magnets, it will first run at 3.5 TeV per beam for around 2 years before ramping up to full energy. The total energy in the LHC at full power is about 350 MJ per beam, which is equivalent to the energy in a potato. To safely dispose of this energy, the LHC has a beam dumper
  • #1
Gear300
1,213
9
What is the highest possible energy per beam that the LHC can handle?
 
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  • #2
Gear300 said:
What is the highest possible energy per beam that the LHC can handle?

7TeV per beam 14TeV total I believe. So it will be half max on 30th...if all goes well(touch wood).
 
  • #3
It was initially planned for 7 TeV per beam ... but now it turns out that no one really knows how much magnets can handle. Fingers crossed, we might get to 5 per beam if we're lucky.
 
  • #4
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  • #5
I guess that you think of energy per proton and not per beam.
 
  • #6
naima said:
I guess that you think of energy per proton and not per beam.

Yes, the numbers quoted are per proton. It was designed to run at 7 TeV per proton (or a center-of-mass collision energy of 14 TeV). In light of the problems they had with the magnets, they decided that to avoid risk they will run for ~2 years at 3.5 TeV beam energy, and then shut down to replace all the interconnects before resuming and ramping up to full design energy.

So it's a good bet that they'll eventually have 14 TeV collsions, it will just take a while.

As for the total energy in the the beam at one time, I'll let someone else answer that since I don't know offhand, but it's considerable. I believe they'll eventually have a pretty high luminosity.
 
  • #7
The total energy in the LHC a week from now will be on the order of 200-300 kJ - about the same as the food energy in a potato. This is calculated assuming 4x4 bunches, 3.5 TeV per proton, and 5-6 x 1010 protons per bunch.
 
  • #8
At full energy and full power the LHC contains about 350MJ /beam

They helpfully convert that into units of aircraft carriers steaming at X knots - for both British and American aircraft carriers.
(In case you were wondering it's equal to HMS Illustrious at 12Knots or USS Nimitz at 5.5knots)
http://lhc-machine-outreach.web.cern.ch/lhc-machine-outreach/beam.htm

Actually turning the thing off and getting rid of this energy without making a mess is a big part of the design
 
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  • #9
mgb_phys said:
Actually turning the thing off and getting rid of this energy without making a mess is a bit part of the design

That is a lot of energy, and the LHC detectors might produce 10^34 collisions per second and per cm^2. A layman would assume that there is a lot of heat produced going one, but these collisions happen in a vacuum, where heat transfer is only possible by conduction and/or radiation. Where does the energy actually goes? And if there is a cooling installation doesn't this affect the results?
 
  • #10
The LHC beam dumper is located in point 6 of the main ring. Basically it will take a magnet and deflect each beam into a very large concrete and iron lined, water cooled carbon chamber which absorbs the beam.
 
  • #11
MotoH said:
The LHC beam dumper is located in point 6 of the main ring. Basically it will take a magnet and deflect each beam into a very large concrete and iron lined, water cooled carbon chamber which absorbs the beam.
That's cool, and what happens to the temperature in rooms where the collisions are do these detectors get red hot?
 
  • #12
Chelle12 said:
That's cool, and what happens to the temperature in rooms where the collisions are do these detectors get red hot?

Note that the 350 MJ refers to dumping the entire beam. The collisions that are being studied only happen a few at a time, so the resulting ~10^-6 J of total energy added to the detectors as a whole from each event is negligible (as far as I know anyway).
 
  • #13
The power in collisions entering the detector at design is measured in watts. In the early phase, mW or even uW would be more appropriate. "Red hot" is not in the realm of possibility. By far the more important source of heat is all the electronics.
 

What is the purpose of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)?

The LHC is a particle accelerator that was built to help scientists study the fundamental building blocks of the universe. It is used to collide particles at extremely high speeds, allowing researchers to study the resulting reactions and gain a better understanding of the laws of physics.

What is the highest possible energy that can be achieved in the LHC?

The highest energy that can be achieved in the LHC is 14 TeV (tera electron volts). This is the maximum energy that the current design of the LHC can reach. However, there are plans to upgrade the LHC to reach even higher energies in the future.

Why is it important to reach the highest possible energy in the LHC?

Reaching the highest possible energy in the LHC allows scientists to explore new frontiers in particle physics and potentially discover new particles or phenomena that have not been observed before. It also allows for more precise measurements and better understanding of known particles and their interactions.

What are the potential risks of operating the LHC at such high energies?

There are some concerns about the safety of operating the LHC at high energies, including the possibility of creating microscopic black holes or other exotic particles. However, extensive research and safety measures have been taken to ensure that these risks are minimal and that any potential hazards are mitigated.

Are there any limitations to how high the energy in the LHC can be increased?

Currently, the main limitation to increasing the energy in the LHC is the technology and engineering constraints of the accelerator. However, with ongoing advancements and upgrades, it is possible that the energy could be increased even further in the future.

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