| Abstract: | The unit of energy used in particle physics is the electronvolt (eV) which is the amount of energy picked up by an electron passing between the poles of a one-volt battery. Energies of a few eV are sufficient to pull electrons from atoms. Energies a million times higher (MeV,) are involved when dealing with nuclear phenomena such as fission in reactors. To study the constituent particles of the nucleus, energies at least a thousand times higher still (GeV), are needed. The CERN antiproton project described here makes possible the highest collision energies ever achieved, but the total energy in the proton and anti-proton beams is still very small. What is important is that this energy is concentrated in a tiny amount of matter in the particle beam. |
