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UA4 experiment

UA4 experiment is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand UA4 experiment rather than just read about it. In short: UA4 experiment (COULOMB) was a high-energy physics experiment at the Proton-Antiproton Collider at CERN. The UA4 collaboration consisted of physicists from Amsterdam, Genova, Napoli, Pisa, Roma, California and CERN.

UA4 experiment — main illustration
UA4 experiment — illustration

Key takeaways

  • UA4 experiment belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect UA4 experiment to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of UA4 experiment from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

UA4 experiment (COULOMB) was a high-energy physics experiment at the Proton-Antiproton Collider at CERN. The UA4 collaboration consisted of physicists from Amsterdam, Genova, Napoli, Pisa, Roma, California and CERN. UA4 was approved on 18 January 1979, and the first phase of data taking lasted until 17 June 1985. The spokesperson of UA4 was Giorgi Matthiae. UA4 was followed by UA4/2, a collaboration between Genova, Roma, Paris, Prague, Valencia and CERN. The purpose of UA4/2 was to measure the ratio of real to the imaginary part of the forward elastic scattering amplitude. It was approved in July 1990, and recorded data throughout 1991. The objective of the UA4 experiment was to measure the antiproton-proton cross-section, in order to show that cross-sections rising with energy are a characteristic of strong interaction. One had previously measured proton-antiproton cross-sections at the Intersecting Storage Rings, but as the Proton-Antiproton Collider — a modification of the Super Proton Synchrotron — began operating, the measurements could be done in a new energy range: up to 540 GeV center-of-mass energy. Elastic events were detected by high resolution wire chambers and scintillation-counter hodoscopes. A system of drift chamber telescopes and counter telescopes were placed on the left and the right side of the crossing region to detect inelastic events. After the period of data taking, the UA4 collaboration could conclude that proton-antiproton cross-section indeed rises with energy.

See also List of Super Proton Synchrotron experiments UA1 experiment UA2 experiment

References

External links List of publications from the UA4 and UA4/2 Collaboration CERN-UA-004 experiment record on INSPIRE-HEP

Illustrations

UA4 experiment illustration
UA4 experiment: UA4 experimental setup, CERN, April 1982: The experiment measured elastic scattering and total cross-section at the Proton-Antiproton Collider.
UA4 experimental setup, CERN, April 1982: The experiment measured elastic scattering and total cross-section at the Proton-Antiproton Collider.
UA4 experiment: Wire chamber roman-pot for experiment UA4, CERN, Jan 1980
Wire chamber roman-pot for experiment UA4, CERN, Jan 1980

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with UA4 experiment

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what UA4 experiment claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to UA4 experiment before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about UA4 experiment ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of UA4 experiment

In research
UA4 experiment appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses UA4 experiment in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
UA4 experiment is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics CERN experiments, Particle experiments, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for UA4 experiment outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study UA4 experiment in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what UA4 experiment means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain UA4 experiment out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is UA4 experiment in simple terms?

UA4 experiment (COULOMB) was a high-energy physics experiment at the Proton-Antiproton Collider at CERN. The UA4 collaboration consisted of physicists from Amsterdam, Genova, Napoli, Pisa, Roma, California and CERN.

Why does UA4 experiment matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study UA4 experiment?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on UA4 experiment.

Tags

  • CERN experiments
  • Particle experiments

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