What happens when you collide protons with electrons in a super collider?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the outcomes of colliding protons with electrons in a super collider, exploring the nature of such collisions, potential particle creation, and the implications for understanding particle physics. The scope includes theoretical considerations and speculative outcomes related to high-energy particle interactions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that colliding protons with electrons could result in the production of neutrons and energy, provided they do not scatter.
  • Others mention that at very high energies, electrons can interact at the quark level, leading to the creation of mesons and insights into the structure of protons.
  • There is a claim that electrons scatter off each other without evidence of internal structure, although some references are provided for further exploration of this topic.
  • One participant notes that while high-energy collisions can create other particles, the concept of "pure energy" is debated, emphasizing that light, despite having no mass, is still considered a particle with momentum.
  • Another point raised is the impracticality of colliding Higgs bosons due to their short lifespan and lack of charge, which complicates their acceleration.
  • It is mentioned that the result of any collision is randomly determined among all possible reactions, suggesting a wide variety of energetic particles can be produced with sufficient energy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying viewpoints on the nature of particle collisions and the implications for particle physics, indicating that multiple competing views remain without a clear consensus.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the behavior of particles at high energies and the limitations of current experimental capabilities regarding certain particles like the Higgs boson.

jaydnul
Messages
558
Reaction score
15
Does it just burst into vast amounts of energy? Or what about colliding two electrons together. higgs boson?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
generally:
p+e -> n + energy. (if they don't scatter)

But see:
http://www.desy.de/f/hera/engl/chap2.html
... at very high energies the electron can interact at the quark level and you get mesons etc.
You learn a lot about the structure of the proton... so it is a decent question.electrons just scatter off each other
e+e -> e+e
... no evidence of internal structure to the electron, if that is what you are thinking.
But see:
http://prd.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v48/i9/p4467_1
... so there is still interesting physics to see.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
lundyjb said:
Does it just burst into vast amounts of energy? Or what about colliding two electrons together.

At very high energy the particles collide and the energy of the collision is used to create other particles. By the way there is no such thing as "pure energy". The closest thing would be light, which has no mass, but is still considered to be a particle and possesses momentum.

higgs boson?

We cannot collide higgs bosons together at this time. They don't live long enough before decaying. They are also uncharged, so we couldn't accelerate them even if we could get around the lifetime problem.
 
The result of any particular impact is randomly chosen among all possible reactions, so you can get all sorts of energetic particles if you use enough energy.
 

Similar threads

Graduate Creating stationary neutrons by colliding protons and electrons
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad Understanding dissipation of energy in a resistor through the Drude model
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Undergrad What happens when a proton and an electron collide?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
High School Can you create neutronium by colliding electrons and protons?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad What happens when two Neutrinos collide?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
High School Magnetic Fields and Particle Movement: How Do Magnets Affect Electrons?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
High School What happens when electrons flow in two opposite directions in an electrical circuit?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad How powerful would a collider have to be to observe a sphaleron?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
High School Electrons Collide: What Happens?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Proton electric polarizability and structure (recent measurement)
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K