Magnetic Field required to maintain protons at 7Tev in LHC

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Homework Help Overview

The original poster attempts to calculate the magnetic field required to maintain protons at 7 TeV in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which has a radius of 27 km. They also need to determine the cyclotron frequency, considering relativistic effects due to the high energy of the protons.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the need to account for relativistic effects in the calculations, particularly in relation to the radius and momentum of the protons. There is a mention of using energy and momentum rather than velocity for the calculations. The original poster questions whether the relativistic effects on mass should be considered in their approach.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on using momentum instead of velocity and clarified the distinction between total energy and kinetic energy. There is an acknowledgment of the complexities involved in the relativistic context, but no explicit consensus has been reached on the best approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the potential confusion regarding whether the energy given refers to total energy or kinetic energy, which could affect the interpretation of the problem. The high energy of the protons suggests they are moving close to the speed of light, which adds to the complexity of the calculations.

Steel_Panther
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Homework Statement



Piece of homework I am stuck on. I have to calculate the magnetic field required to maintain protons at 7Tev in the LHC which has a radius of 27 km. I also have to work out the cyclotron frequency as well.

Homework Equations



7 x 10^15 = mc^2/√(1-v^2/c^2) - mc^2 ----(1)

R = mv/qB ----(2) Where R is radius, q is charge and B is the magnetic field

The Attempt at a Solution



I have tried to work out the velocity of the protons using the first equation as I am sure with that amount of energy I need to take relativity into account. I could then input that into equation 2, but with there being relativistic effects wouldn't these effects on m have to be taken into account? I am not sure if I am going the correct way about tackling this. Any thoughts? Thanks guys
 
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Hi, and welcome to PF.

Yes, you will need to include relativistic effects for R. If you write R in the form R = p/qB where p is the momentum, then it will be valid for both relativistic and nonrelativistic cases.

There's a well-known equation that relates energy and momentum that will make it easy to find p.
 
Steel_Panther said:
have tried to work out the velocity of the protons using the first equation as I am sure with that amount of energy I need to take relativity into account.
The energy given is typically the total energy, not just the kinetic energy. Also, it's best to avoid working with speeds if you can. Stick with energy and momentum.

I could then input that into equation 2, but with there being relativistic effects wouldn't these effects on m have to be taken into account? I'm not sure if I am going the correct way about tackling this. Any thoughts? Thanks guys
You should disabuse yourself of the notion that the mass of an object increases with its speed. The only difference between the relativistic mass, which is what you're referring to, and the energy is a factor of c2, so you might as well just refer to the particle's energy. It's the energy that increases with speed, and the mass m is the invariant, or rest, mass, which is constant.
 
vela said:
The energy given is typically the total energy, not just the kinetic energy.

Good point. I've seen "energy given" used both ways (KE or total). [EDIT: In a low energy situation it might seem a bit strange for the given energy to be the total energy; e.g., a "1-Gev proton"]. In this problem it won't make much difference.
 
At that energy, the protons are essentially moving at the speed of light (E_k \gg m_p c^2). The equation for perpendicular acceleration is:
<br /> a_{\bot} = \frac{c^2}{E} \, F_{\bot}<br />

The Lorentz force is a perpendicular force. Do you know the expression for centripetal acceleration and Lorentz force?
 

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