center-of-mass energy In a particle collision, the energy that can go into making new particles. For a collider experiment where two beams of equal energy collide head-on, this is simply the sum of the energy of the two beams. In fixed target experiments, in which a beam of particles strikes a stationary target, the center-of-mass energy is significantly less than the sum of the energies of the two colliding particles. Related category PARTICLE PHYSICS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) |