Undergrad New Way of Particle Accelerating?

[BenjaminLovesQM]

Question 1:
Current particle accelerators are only able to speed up particles up to around 0.16c. However, in nuclear reactors, radioactive nuclei release subatomic particles, i.e. electrons, at more than 0.75c. To increase efficiency and perhaps to observe how particles collide at high speeds, would it be possible to use a magnetic field to control the direction of the emitted electrons by radioactive substances? Where we put two identical radioactive particles in the particle accelerator (i.e. Ra-228), such that the half lives are equal. When they emit radiation, can we alter their random emission direction by applying a magnetic field, so that the particles collide?Question 2:
To ensure a higher chance of radiation emission, can we use the Quantum Zeno effect, to increase the chance for which particles decay?

 

[Orodruin]

Current particle accelerators are only able to speed up particles up to around 0.16c.

This is not correct. LHC protons travel very close to the speed of light with $c-v \simeq m^2c^5/(2E^2)$. This is slightly more than 1 m/s or $4.5\cdot 10^{-9}c$.

 

[BenjaminLovesQM]

Oh ok, sorry for the wrong info. But I'd like to ask: would the method work? Thanks!

 

[jtbell]

This is slightly more than 1 m/s or 4.5⋅10−9c4.5\cdot 10^{-9}c.

...less than $c$? (i.e. $v \approx c - 1~\rm{m/s}$)

 

[Orodruin]

...less than $c$? (i.e. $v \approx c - 1~\rm{m/s}$)

Well, the quantity I quoted was $c-v$ so if that is positive $v < c$. Alternatively, $v \simeq 0.999999995c$.

 

[jtbell]

D'oh... the connection slipped past me there.

 

[BenjaminLovesQM]

Right, so would this method work? Driven by curiosity...

 

[ZapperZ]

Right, so would this method work? Driven by curiosity...

I'm not sure I fully understand your question, because the issue has been rather obvious.

We steer charge particles using magnetic field. That is why there is such a thing as "bending magnets". It is what we used to steer and control the direction of particles in accelerators. In fact, we use magnets of different configurations to bend, focus, steer, etc... these particles.

So I don't know exactly if this is what you didn't know before, or if I'm missing something else.

And BTW, "waiting" for particles to be emitted is a very inefficient way to have a particle source for particle accelerators. Also note that for electrons, it takes almost no effort to get it close, VERY close, to "c". All the physics that we use to model particle beams simply uses "c" as the speed of electrons once it achieves MeV energy scale. This is easily achieved just from electrons coming out of a photoinjector already without having them pass through any additional accelerating structures.

Zz.

 

[mfb]

would it be possible to use a magnetic field to control the direction of the emitted electrons by radioactive substances?

You cannot. You can change their direction once they got emitted, but you cannot properly focus radioactive decay products due to their random initial motion.

While it is possible to have decay products from two sources collide, the probability is utterly negligible. You would probably have to wait for years to accumulate a few collisions, something particle accelerators can deliver in seconds (at much higher collision energies).

To ensure a higher chance of radiation emission, can we use the Quantum Zeno effect, to increase the chance for which particles decay?

You cannot.