September 29, 2011
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmThe Tevatron: Three Decades of Discovery
Notable events from the 32-year history of Fermilab's Tevatron, which reigned as the world's most powerful collider for years
By The Editors
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Most everything you need to know about a particle collider can be summed up with just two numbers. The first is its energy—higher energies let scientists conjure up more massive particles (measured in gigaelectron volts, or GeV). The second is its luminosity, or the number of collisions per second. Engineers spent the first decade of the Tevatron pushing up its energy; they’ve spent the past two opening a trickle of collisions into a firehose. Here are a few of the more notable events in the life of the collider.
Interactive by Krista Fuentes
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.