Thread: Proton Extraction and proton vs electron use in the LHC ?

Can someone explain to me how the protons are extracted (trillions of them) to be used in the LHC...and why use protons as opposed to electrons?

thx greatly!

I'm not sure how they are extracted. But I bet the reason they use protons instead of electrons, is because of what the proton consists of. The proton is actually made of 3 smaller particles called quarks. However, the electron is a single elementary particle.

Well, I just was trying to find answers and one of them is that electrons repel each other, don't touch (cut me slack here because I'm just an inquiring layman!). But, the extraction process I am VERY interested in, so any others??

I'm not sure if it's how they actually do it, but a hydrogen plasma consists of loose protons and electrons. A strong electromagnetic field could seperate them.

Why not electrons? Protons are much more massive than electrons. For a given velocity, they can carry much more energy.


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In a collider, the particles are accelerated to nearly the speed of light. An why not neutrons? The particles are accelerated with strong magnets. Charged particles are much stronger affected by magnetic fields.

Well, this is the simpler part of the whole experiment. You basically generate a hydrogen plasma and with electriy fields separate the electrons and the protons.
BAsically the same mechanism as in your cathode ray tube, you just pick the protons instead of the electrons. and the reason why was clarified by Dismaster, protns have considerable more mass than electrons and they are charged particles that consist of quarks and gluons, important if you want to generate a quark-gluon plasma.

Thanks all....I love the potential of the accelerator and results, just clueless on a couple of the, umm...basics of physics! :wink: