The LEP (Large Electron-Positron) Collider

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Scientific American; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0790-54· OSTI ID:6078475

Myers, S; Picasso, E ^[1]

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1. CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

This year the LEP (Large Electron-Positron) is expected to generate about a million more Z{sup 0}'s. This abundance of data will enable physicists to investigate rare decay modes, determine the precise mass and lifetime of the Z{sup 0}, study the processes underlying the production of hadrons (particles made up of quarks) and probe subtle aspects of the prevailing theory. Equally important, experiments at the LEP will try to discover new states of matter--in particular, the Higgs boson and perhaps also the top quark. Both of these massive particles are predicted by theory but have yet to be observed. Experimenters will also be searching for phenomena that are not predicted by existing theories. The LEP Collider is destined to be the preeminent tool for particle physics in the next decade. Its spectacular performance to data is a tribute to the ingenuity and determined effort of hundreds of technicians, engineers and scientists from more than 25 nations who collaborated on the LEP and its detectors. With an average diameter of 8,486 meters and a beam-collision energy of 100 billion electron volts, or gigaelectron volts (GeV), the LEP is the largest and most powerful electron-positron storage ring ever built. Because the electrons and positrons have the same energy and are colliding head-on, the total energy available in the center of mass of the system is simply twice the beam energy. The LEP, with present collision energies of up to 110 GeV, generates Z{sup 0} particles. It will eventually be upgraded to 200 GeV and generate particles known as the W{sup +} and W{sup {minus}}. Each of these three particles weighs about 90 GeV, or about 100 times the mass of the proton.

• OSTI ID: 6078475
• Journal Information: Scientific American; (USA), Journal Name: Scientific American; (USA) Vol. 263:1; ISSN SCAMA; ISSN 0036-8733
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
430400* -- Particle Accelerators-- Storage Rings
645100 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ACCELERATORS
ANNIHILATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BEAM LUMINOSITY
BOSONS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
CAVITY RESONATORS
COST
CYCLIC ACCELERATORS
DESIGN
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON-POSITRON INTERACTIONS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY LOSSES
ENERGY RANGE
EQUIPMENT
GETTERS
GEV RANGE
HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS
INTERACTIONS
INTERMEDIATE BOSONS
INTERMEDIATE VECTOR BOSONS
LEP STORAGE RINGS
LEPTON-LEPTON INTERACTIONS
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
LOSSES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MODIFICATIONS
PARTICLE BOOSTERS
PARTICLE IDENTIFICATION
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE MODELS
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PHYSICS
RADIATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESONATORS
RF SYSTEMS
STANDARD MODEL
STORAGE RINGS
SUPERCONDUCTING CAVITY RESONATORS
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
SYNCHROTRONS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
W MINUS BOSONS
W PLUS BOSONS
Z NEUTRAL BOSONS