ATLAS - Episode 1 -A New Hope

Summary

The video showcases the immense Atlas detector at CERN, designed to study particle collisions mimicking the conditions of the universe after the Big Bang. It highlights the complex components, including powerful calorimeters, transition radiation trackers, and muon detectors, all working together to measure and track the trajectory and energy of particles. Through animated visuals, viewers explore the various detectors and their roles in capturing collision data. The Atlas experiment is vital in understanding the fundamental forces of the universe and the particles that shape it, making it an extraordinary tool in particle physics research.

Takeaways

• 😀 Protons are accelerated to near the speed of light and collided in a 27 km underground ring at CERN to recreate the conditions of the Universe after the Big Bang.
• 😀 The Atlas detector at CERN, which studies particle collisions, took several years to assemble and uses advanced animation for visualizations.
• 😀 The Atlas detector generates a strong magnetic field using superconducting cables housed in a large structure, enabling one of the world's largest magnetic fields.
• 😀 The detector measures particle energies using various types of calorimeters, including a 3,000-ton tile calorimeter and an electromagnetic calorimeter using lead and liquid argon.
• 😀 The calorimeters help measure the energy of particles passing through the detector, which is crucial for understanding collision results.
• 😀 Muon detectors, covering an area as large as several football fields, track charged particles that reach the outermost layers of the detector.
• 😀 Precision measurement of particle trajectories is achieved with a device called the transition radiation tracker, consisting of tubes with gas and gold wires.
• 😀 Inside the tracker, there are detectors made from silicon divided into thin strips and tiny pixels, providing high accuracy in particle tracking.
• 😀 Further detector modules are positioned at the ends of the Atlas detector to measure particles produced at small angles to proton beams.
• 😀 Atlas is designed to capture as many particles as possible from collisions, providing a comprehensive understanding of the results, which involves several specialized components.
• 😀 The construction of Atlas concludes with additional detector layers at the edges to measure particles at extreme angles, finalizing the detection capabilities.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of the Atlas detector at CERN?

The Atlas detector is designed to study proton collisions at near-light speeds, recreating conditions of the universe immediately after the Big Bang, to understand fundamental particles and forces.

How is the magnetic field in the Atlas detector produced?

The magnetic field in the Atlas detector is produced by passing current through 80 km of superconducting cables, which are housed in a large cylindrical structure.

What is the function of the calorimeters in the Atlas detector?

The calorimeters in the Atlas detector measure the energy of particles passing through, helping scientists analyze the interactions and characteristics of those particles.

What materials are used in the tile calorimeter, and how does it function?

The tile calorimeter is made of steel and a special material that lights up when particles pass through it, helping to measure the energy of those particles.

What is the electromagnetic calorimeter, and how is it designed?

The electromagnetic calorimeter consists of lead and is bathed in liquid argon cooled to -180°C, designed to measure high-energy particles with electromagnetic interactions.

How are the muon detectors used in the Atlas detector?

The muon detectors measure the trajectories of charged particles, and their surface area is about the size of several football fields. They are located at the outermost layers of the Atlas detector.

What is the role of the transition radiation tracker in the Atlas detector?

The transition radiation tracker is made up of thousands of tubes filled with gas and gold wires, helping to measure the paths of charged particles with high precision.

How does the silicon detector in the Atlas detector work?

The silicon detectors consist of millions of thin strips and tiny pixels, helping to measure the trajectory of charged particles with exceptional accuracy, down to 100th of a millimeter.

Why is the size and scale of the Atlas detector significant?

The immense size and scale of the Atlas detector are critical for accurately measuring the many particles produced in high-energy proton collisions and for capturing detailed data across multiple components.

What is the importance of the various detector modules placed at the ends of the Atlas detector?

The additional detector modules at the ends of the Atlas detector measure particles produced at small angles to the proton beams, ensuring that as many particles as possible are detected and analyzed.