Intersecting Storage Rings
Encyclopedia
The ISR was a particle accelerator
at CERN
. It was the world's first hadron
collider
, and ran from 1971 to 1984, with a maximum center of mass
energy
of 62 GeV
. From its initial startup, the collider itself had the capability to produce particles like the J/ψ and the upsilon
, as well as observable jet structure; however, the particle detector
experiments were not configured to observe events with large momentum
transverse
to the beamline
, leaving these discoveries to be made at other experiments in the mid-1970s. Nevertheless, the construction of the ISR involved many advances in accelerator physics
, including the first use of stochastic cooling
, and it held the record for luminosity at a hadron collider until surpassed by the Tevatron
in 2004.
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
. It was the world's first hadron
Hadron
In particle physics, a hadron is a composite particle made of quarks held together by the strong force...
collider
Collider
A collider is a type of a particle accelerator involving directed beams of particles.Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.-Explanation:...
, and ran from 1971 to 1984, with a maximum center of mass
Center of mass
In physics, the center of mass or barycenter of a system is the average location of all of its mass. In the case of a rigid body, the position of the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body...
energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
of 62 GeV
GEV
GEV or GeV may stand for:*GeV or gigaelectronvolt, a unit of energy equal to billion electron volts*GEV or Grid Enabled Vehicle that is fully or partially powered by the electric grid, see plug-in electric vehicle...
. From its initial startup, the collider itself had the capability to produce particles like the J/ψ and the upsilon
Upsilon particle
The Upsilon meson is a flavorless meson formed from a bottom quark and its antiparticle. It was discovered by the E288 collaboration, headed by Leon Lederman, at Fermilab in 1977, and was the first particle containing a bottom quark to be discovered because it is the lightest that can be produced...
, as well as observable jet structure; however, the particle detector
Particle detector
In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify high-energy particles, such as those produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a...
experiments were not configured to observe events with large momentum
Momentum
In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...
transverse
Transversality
In mathematics, transversality is a notion that describes how spaces can intersect; transversality can be seen as the "opposite" of tangency, and plays a role in general position. It formalizes the idea of a generic intersection in differential topology...
to the beamline
Beamline
In particle physics, a beamline is the line in a linear accelerator along which a beam of particles travels. It may also refer to the line of travel within a bending section such as a storage ring or cyclotron, or an external beam extracted from a cyclic accelerator.In materials science, physics,...
, leaving these discoveries to be made at other experiments in the mid-1970s. Nevertheless, the construction of the ISR involved many advances in accelerator physics
Accelerator physics
Accelerator physics deals with the problems of building and operating particle accelerators.The experiments conducted with particle accelerators are not regarded as part of accelerator physics. These belong to particle physics, nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, materials physics, etc...
, including the first use of stochastic cooling
Stochastic cooling
Stochastic cooling is a form of particle beam cooling. It is used in some particle accelerators and storage rings to control the emittance of the particle beams in the machine. This process uses the electrical signals that the individual charged particles generate in a feedback loop to reduce the...
, and it held the record for luminosity at a hadron collider until surpassed by the Tevatron
Tevatron
The Tevatron is a circular particle accelerator in the United States, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , just east of Batavia, Illinois, and is the second highest energy particle collider in the world after the Large Hadron Collider...
in 2004.
External links
- ISR startup
- Early history of the ISR
- Picture of the ISR from above - It's the large earthen ring with circular roads inside and outside.