EeV

EeV, or exa-electronvolt, is a unit of energy used in particle physics to express extremely high energies. It is equal to 10^18 electronvolts (eV), or 1.602 x 10^11 joules. The term "EeV" is derived from the prefix "exa-", which denotes a factor of 10^18. This unit is particularly relevant in the study of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, which can reach energies on the order of EeV. The highest energy cosmic ray ever detected had an energy of approximately 320 EeV. EeV is also used to describe the energies of particles produced in high-energy collisions, such as those in particle accelerators. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), for example, can accelerate protons to energies of up to 6.5 TeV (tera-electronvolts), or 6.5 x 10^12 eV, which is significantly lower than EeV energies. The study of EeV energies is crucial for understanding the fundamental nature of the universe and the processes that occur at these extreme scales.