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From: tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.sci
Subject: Re: Particle Accelerators/ Cosmic Rays
Message-ID: <1622@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 12:17:41 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.1622
Posted: Tue Feb 11 12:17:41 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 08:32:20 EST
References: <572@hounx.UUCP> <139@epimass.UUCP> <11782@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 20
Xref: watmath net.physics:3845 net.sci:525

> In article <139@epimass.UUCP> jbuck@epimass.UUCP (Joe Buck) writes:
> >
> >The problem with this is that cosmic rays, which are largely subatomic
> >particles accelerated to high energies, strike the atmosphere every day,
> >and a significant number have higher energy than have ever been produced
> >in any man-made accelerator.
>----- 
>    If this is really true why don't we build orbiting detectors and wait
> for cosmic rays to strike their targets at these extremely high energies?
> Is the density of cosmic rays too low to make this practical?
>    Sounds a lot cheaper than $1E10 for the SSC!
>    -- David desJardins
------
We DO build such orbiting detectors.  However, the intensity of
cosmic rays at high energies is many orders of magnitude below that
achievable in man-made accelerators.  The knowledge gained about the
structure of matter in the last thirty years or more comes almost
entirely from experiments at man-made accelerators.
-- 
Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL  ihnp4!ihlpg!tan