What is a particle accelerator?
Quick Answer
A particle accelerator is a machine that speeds up charged particles to very high energies using electric fields. Scientists use them to study fundamental particles and forces.
The Full Story
Particle accelerators push charged particles, such as protons or electrons, to high speeds and then steer them with magnets. Colliders smash particles together so physicists can study the products of those collisions and test theories of matter and forces. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which began operation in 2008, is the world’s most powerful accelerator and was central to the 2012 discovery of the Higgs boson. Accelerators are also used in medicine, materials research, and industry.
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