Proton-proton collisions at the LHC
Nature Communications
September 7, 2011
The first experimental measurement of the proton-proton cross-section at 7 TeV is reported by the ATLAS collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) this week in Nature Communications. This finding marks the highest energy collision for protons observed to date. These data are important for modelling cosmic ray showers and validating our understanding of high-energy particle interactions.
The cross-section describes the probability for two particles to collide and depends on the energy of the particles. Understanding the rate of proton interactions is fundamentally important for particle physics but it cannot be worked out from existing theories. The team at ATLAS determined this rate by measuring the subatomic products resulting from the colliding protons using the ATLAS detector.
The results confirm previous predications for the behaviour of high-energy protons.
doi: 10.1038/ncomms1472
Research highlights
-
Jun 30
Evolution: Hawks learn on the fly to swoop up before perchingNature
-
Jun 28
Astronomy: Hydrogen- and helium-rich exoplanets may provide habitable conditions for billions of yearsNature Astronomy
-
Jun 24
Sport science: New wearable sensor to measure neck strain may detect potential concussionScientific Reports
-
Jun 23
Scientific community: Women credited less than men in scientific paper authorshipNature
-
Jun 22
Planetary science: Modelling electrolyte transport in water-rich exoplanetsNature Communications
-
Jun 15
Robotics: Taking millimetre-scale origami robots for a spinNature Communications
