Input
450 GeV proton bunches from SPS
Stage 5 of 5
LHC
The Large Hadron Collider stores two opposing proton beams in a 26.7 km ring and drives collisions at four main interaction points where major detectors observe debris.
Process
Superconducting magnetic steering, collision timing, synchronized crossing
Output
High-energy collisions for detector science
Energy
6.8 TeV per beam
Interactive simulator
How the beam moves through this stage.
Beam life, optics, and detector timing are simplified to one visible crossing sequence.
Particleproton
Energy6.8 TeV per beam
Beam formatbunch
Speed (v / c)99.999999048%
At this energy the proton travels about 299,792 km/s — 99.999999048% of the speed of light (c = 299,792 km/s). Past this point more energy barely raises the speed; it pours into momentum instead.
Scale note
26.7 km ring with tunnel-level scale
Key terms
Superconducting magnet, Synchrotron, and Bunch.
What happens, in order
- 01Input450 GeV proton bunches from SPS
- 02ProcessSuperconducting magnetic steering, collision timing, synchronized crossing
- 03OutputHigh-energy collisions for detector science
Key terms: Superconducting magnet, Synchrotron, and Bunch.
Quick facts
Ring length
26.7 km
scale map
Magnets
Superconducting dipoles and quadrupoles
Collision points
ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, LHCb
Collision energy
13.6 TeV (Run 3)
6.8 TeV per beam
Sources
Where these numbers come from.
- 01
CERN Large Hadron Collider
https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider/Official public overview used for LHC scale, collider role, multi-TeV beam context, and the current LHC experiment roster.
- 02
CERN Accelerator Complex overview
https://home.cern/science/accelerators/Official public summary used for accelerator principles, beamline framing, and the CERN accelerator network.
Next · Detector families
From collisions to the experiments that record them.
The LHC delivers collisions. The science comes from what the detectors catch next. Open any of the four flagship experiments.
Guided tour
Guided learning path
Four steps: follow the beam, see the aftermath, compare with spacetime signals, then test your intuition.
- 01 · You are here
Follow the beam
Start with the injector chain so the rest of the site follows a physical sequence.
Open - 02 · Next
See the collision aftermath
See which detectors catch which particles after a collision.
Open - 03 · Next
Compare with spacetime signals
Switch to gravitational waves: tune mass, distance, and noise to find the signal.
Open - 04 · Next
Test your intuition
Short quizzes on accelerator ordering, detector choice, and signal tuning.
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