When particles collide at high energies, they can either break apart into smaller particles or generate entirely new ones.

High-energy collisions can release an enormous amount of energy, which can be transformed into mass, resulting in the creation of new particles that were not present before the collision. A notable example of this phenomenon occurs when two protons collide at high energies, potentially producing a Higgs boson. This particle was famously observed for the first time at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012.

In addition to the creation of new particles, high-energy collisions can also lead to the disintegration of particles into smaller components. This process is referred to as particle decay. For instance, when a proton collides with an antiproton, they can annihilate each other, resulting in a cascade of particles that includes pions, kaons, and other mesons.

The exploration of high-energy particle collisions is crucial for advancing our understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and the universe. By conducting collisions at elevated energies, physicists can investigate the structure of matter at the smallest scales and test various theories in particle physics. The LHC, located at CERN in Switzerland, stands as the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, capable of colliding protons at energies reaching up to $14 \, \text{TeV}$ (tera-electronvolts).

In summary, high-energy particle collisions can lead to the creation of new particles or cause existing particles to break apart into smaller fragments. These collisions are vital for unraveling the fundamental aspects of matter and the universe, and they are studied using advanced particle accelerators such as the LHC.