How large a hadron would a large hadron collider collide, if a large hadron collider could collide hadrons?
November 8, 2012 10:32 AM
Does the Large Hadron Collider collide large hadrons, or is it a large machine that collides regular hadrons?
That is, it is a [Large [Hadron Collider]] or a [[Large Hadron] Collider]?
That is, it is a [Large [Hadron Collider]] or a [[Large Hadron] Collider]?
A hadron is a composite particle, like a proton or electron. A collider collides them. The LHC is a big one of these.
posted by 2bucksplus at 10:38 AM on November 8, 2012
posted by 2bucksplus at 10:38 AM on November 8, 2012
Hadrons and Large Hadron Collider for openers. I'm sure those far more knowledgeable than I am will chime in with further details.
posted by Pudhoho at 10:39 AM on November 8, 2012
posted by Pudhoho at 10:39 AM on November 8, 2012
The predecessor in the same tunnel was LEP, the Large Electron-Positron collider, so the name kinda makes sense.
posted by Talkie Toaster at 10:48 AM on November 8, 2012
posted by Talkie Toaster at 10:48 AM on November 8, 2012
Thanks! I've been wondering this for a few years now, but never got around to asking.
By the way, now I can begin work on my latest invention, a big machine that collides Large Hadron Colliders, which I will be calling the Large Large Hadron Collider Collider.
posted by gkhan at 10:52 AM on November 8, 2012
By the way, now I can begin work on my latest invention, a big machine that collides Large Hadron Colliders, which I will be calling the Large Large Hadron Collider Collider.
posted by gkhan at 10:52 AM on November 8, 2012
Ms. Next: I think you meant to say that it's the latter...
posted by sbutler at 10:44 AM on November 8 [+]
The question is asked in two different ways in the original post.
The first question is "Does the Large Hadron Collider collide large hadrons, or is it a large machine that collides regular hadrons?" -- The answer is "the latter."
The second question is "That is, it is a [Large [Hadron Collider]] or a [[Large Hadron] Collider]?" -- The answer is "the former."
posted by valeries at 11:12 AM on November 8, 2012
posted by sbutler at 10:44 AM on November 8 [+]
The question is asked in two different ways in the original post.
The first question is "Does the Large Hadron Collider collide large hadrons, or is it a large machine that collides regular hadrons?" -- The answer is "the latter."
The second question is "That is, it is a [Large [Hadron Collider]] or a [[Large Hadron] Collider]?" -- The answer is "the former."
posted by valeries at 11:12 AM on November 8, 2012
A hadron is a composite particle, like a proton or electron.
Electrons are fermions, not hadrons. Hadrons interact via the strong force, which electrons do not.
posted by BrashTech at 11:40 AM on November 8, 2012
Electrons are fermions, not hadrons. Hadrons interact via the strong force, which electrons do not.
posted by BrashTech at 11:40 AM on November 8, 2012
Ah, I didn't realise the question was posed in two different orders, sorry for the confusion, sbutler!
posted by Ms. Next at 11:58 AM on November 8, 2012
posted by Ms. Next at 11:58 AM on November 8, 2012
BrashTech, that's not quite right. Fermion refers to spin-statistics (namely, being spin-1/2, 3/2, ...), and hadron refers to feeling the strong interaction. You can be both fermionic and hadronic (protons and neutrons, for example). Electrons are both fermions and leptonic (a spin-1/2 particle not feeling the strong force: electrons, muons, taus, and the neutrinos). You can also be hadronic and NOT fermionic: pions and other mesons, which are hadronic and bosonic (spin 0, 1, etc). For good reasons (namely that the number of leptons is preserved if we use this definition), we don't denote the photons, W/Z, and Higgs as "leptons," even though they don't feel the strong force, so there are no known leptons that are bosonic.
posted by physicsmatt at 6:49 PM on November 8, 2012
posted by physicsmatt at 6:49 PM on November 8, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:38 AM on November 8, 2012