What Would Happen if LHC Beam Impinged On Someone/Something?

[entropydave]

Hello everyone,
Ummm... question that I was asked by one of my children which i just cannot answer...
With the LHC running with a beam of highly accelerated protons whizzing around... what would be the effect if they were able to impinge on someone (or something).
Seeing as they are moving so close to the speed of light, there must be considerable energy in them thar beams... would it punch a hole? Burn? Or simply largely pass right through?


sorry for naive question!

thanks

 

[Cleonis]

With the LHC running with a beam of highly accelerated protons whizzing around... what would be the effect if they were able to impinge on someone (or something).

The russion researcher Anatoly Bugorski had an accident during which a proton beam went through his head. Miraculously, he survived. His personality and mental abilities remained intact. Due to nerve damage part of his face is paralyzed.

In an article about Sovjet nuclear research in general Anatoly Bugorski's case is recounted, and Bugorski is quoted, telling about his accident and how he is doing.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.12/science.html"

 

[entropydave]

The russion researcher Anatoly Bugorski had an accident during which a proton beam went through his head. Miraculously, he survived. His personality and mental abilities remained intact. Due to nerve damage part of his face is paralyzed.

In an article about Sovjet nuclear research in general Anatoly Bugorski's case is recounted, and Bugorski is quoted, telling about his accident and how he is doing.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.12/science.html"

That is seriously grievous! Poor guy. Thanks for the link

 

[Vanadium 50]

The beam is interlocked and in vacuum, so there's no way to get at the beam. However, the stored energy is many megajoules, which would be deposited in whatever stopped it. One megajoule is roughly the energy in a stick of dynamite.

 

[pmacias]

for the interesting question, it's definitely not a naive one! The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a powerful scientific tool that is used to study the fundamental building blocks of our universe. It accelerates particles, such as protons, to extremely high energies and then collides them together to create new particles and study their properties.

If a person or object were to be in the path of the LHC beam, the effects would depend on several factors. First, the energy of the beam is important. The LHC can accelerate protons to energies of up to 7 TeV (tera electron volts), which is equivalent to the energy of a baseball traveling at 900 mph. This is a tremendous amount of energy, and if it were to hit a person or object, it could cause significant damage.

Secondly, the size and density of the object would also play a role. A small, dense object like a metal rod would likely be able to withstand the impact of the beam, but a larger, less dense object like a human body would likely be more affected. The beam would likely cause tissue damage and potentially even burn the surface of the skin.

However, it's important to note that the LHC is designed with extensive safety measures in place to prevent any harm to people or objects. The beam is contained within a vacuum and guided by powerful magnets, so it's highly unlikely that it would ever come into contact with anything or anyone outside of the designated collision points.

In summary, if the LHC beam were to impinge on someone or something, it would likely cause significant damage due to its high energy and speed. But rest assured, the LHC is operated with strict safety protocols to ensure that this never happens.