The Tool: The Tevatron
To explore the smallest of
the small, the particles inside the atom, scientists use the
largest of scientific instruments, particle accelerators with
outer dimensions measured in miles. These giant tools of particle
physics can accelerate subatomic particles to very close to the
speed of light (3.0 X 108 meters/sec). In experiments
to find and measure the top quark, Fermilab physicists use the
world's most powerful accelerator, the Tevatron.
The Tevatron will
accelerate beams of protons and antiprotons. The protons and
antiprotons travel in opposite directions around the Tevatron's
four mile circumference. When the proton and antiproton meet,
they collide with enough energy to allow the physicists to
explore the decay of the kaon particle.