Hadron-Electron Ring Accelerator

The Hadron-Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA) was a unique particle accelerator located at the DESY laboratory in Germany. It was the only machine of its kind designed to accelerate and store both electrons and protons, which have different masses.1

HERA operated using two interlaced rings within a single tunnel. One ring was dedicated to accelerating and storing electrons, while the other handled the protons. This setup allowed for collisions between these two types of particles, enabling scientists to study the inner structure of the proton and the interactions between quarks and gluons. The proton ring could reach energies up to 820 GeV, while the electron energy was limited to 30 GeV due to synchrotron radiation losses. HERA began operation in 1992 and was a significant facility for high-energy physics research.12