Astronomers at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) primarily use protons for their high-energy particle experiments rather than other subatomic particles for several reasons:
Abundance: Protons are the most common type of subatomic particle found in ordinary matter. They are present in the nuclei of all atoms, including those that make up celestial bodies and the universe as a whole. This abundance makes protons readily available for use in experiments.
Stability: Protons are stable particles, meaning they do not decay over short timescales. This stability allows researchers to accelerate and manipulate protons effectively in particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, to achieve the high energies needed for probing the structure of matter and the cosmos.
Interactions: Protons have strong interactions with other particles, which enables them to probe the fundamental forces and interactions that govern the behavior of matter. By colliding protons together at high energies, scientists can study the resulting particle interactions and gain insights into the underlying properties of matter, including the structure of the cosmos.
Energetic Collisions: Protons accelerated to high energies can produce extremely energetic collisions when they collide head-on or with other target particles. These collisions allow scientists to recreate conditions that existed shortly after the Big Bang and investigate the fundamental particles and processes that were present during the early stages of the universe.
Instrumentation and Experience: There is a wealth of expertise, knowledge, and infrastructure built around using protons in high-energy physics experiments. CERN has a long history of accelerating and colliding protons, and the experimental facilities, detectors, and data analysis techniques have been developed specifically for proton-proton collisions. This experience and infrastructure make it practical and efficient to continue using protons for research.
While other subatomic particles, such as electrons, muons, or neutrinos, are also used in certain astrophysical and cosmological studies, protons remain the particle of choice for many experiments at CERN due to their abundance, stability, strong interactions, and the existing infrastructure surrounding their use.