This, along, with higher levels of ionising radiation in space, seems to be responsible for the degradation, says Lakshmi Putcha, a NASA researcher who co-authored the study. (newscientist.com)
It will use an electric current to heat a small amount of gas up to 4000 °C, creating a plasma of ionised gas between two electrodes and generating 1300 kilowatts of heat. (newscientist.com)
Clouds of electrons created by ionised gas in the beam chamber and microscopic dust particles — playfully known as unidentified falling objects, or UFOs — are interrupting the beams and making it harder to get the LHC running consistently. (newscientist.com)