What Is The Biggest Vacuum In The World?

Household vacuum cleaners are great for cleaning carpets, floors, and upholstery. They have become an essential tool in every household. But have you ever wondered about the biggest vacuum in the world? Many people don’t know that the biggest vacuum cleaner in the world exists, and it’s used for a very different purpose.

The Large Hadron Collider- The Biggest Vacuum Around

When we think of a vacuum, we usually think of a cleaner that pulls dust and debris out of carpets and floors. However, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located beneath the Swiss-French border, is a different type of vacuum altogether.

The LHC is the largest and most complex particle accelerator in the world. It consists of a circular tunnel that is 27 kilometers in circumference and is buried 100 meters deep. The LHC’s primary purpose is to smash subatomic particles at high speeds to simulate the Big Bang and understand the fundamental laws of nature.

To achieve this effect, the LHC requires a special vacuum. The particles that the accelerator releases move at extremely high speeds, approaching the speed of light. The air particles in the tunnel would create drag and slow the particles down, which could affect the accuracy of the experiments. So, the LHC is kept in a vacuum to eliminate as many air particles as possible.

Why is the vacuum important to the LHC?

The vacuum in the LHC has unique features that make it more effective than traditional vacuums. The first is that it creates a near-perfect vacuum created by the LHC’s engineers. They realized that the vacuum required could not be achieved with a traditional vacuum cleaner but needed to be as close to a vacuum as possible. The air in the LHC’s tunnel has a pressure of about 10^-13 millibars, which means that it’s almost a total vacuum.

Another feature that is unique to the LHC’s vacuum is its magnetic field. Electromagnets surround the LHC’s tunnel to create a magnetic field that is 200,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field. This magnetic field forces the particles to move in a perfect circle, preventing the particles from flying off tangent and colliding with the walls of the tunnel.

Conclusion

The Large Hadron Collider’s vacuum is the biggest vacuum in the world and has unique features that make it more effective than traditional vacuums. While it is used for a different purpose than cleaning carpets and floors, it is an essential tool for scientists worldwide, helping them to simulate the Big Bang and understand the fundamental laws of nature. So, the next time you think about the biggest vacuum in the world, think about the Large Hadron Collider.