teraelectronvolts

Terraelectronvolt, symbol TeV, is a unit of energy used in particle physics. It equals 10^12 electronvolts (eV). Since 1 eV = 1.602176634×10^-19 joules, 1 TeV equals 1.602176634×10^-7 joules. In high-energy physics, TeV is commonly used to express the energies of individual particles, the center-of-mass energy in collider experiments, and the masses of heavy particles via E=mc^2.

In natural units used in particle physics, c and ħ are set to 1, so energy, mass, and momentum are often expressed in eV. The TeV range is convenient for describing masses and energies of particles heavier than those encountered at the GeV scale.

Common contexts include the Large Hadron Collider, whose design center-of-mass energy is 14 TeV, and current operations around 13 TeV; many beyond-Standard Model theories predict new particles at TeV-scale masses. TeV energies also appear in astrophysical observations, such as high-energy gamma rays and cosmic rays detected in the TeV range.

Examples of TeV-scale masses include the W boson at about 0.08 TeV (80 GeV) and the top quark at about 0.173 TeV (173 GeV). The TeV scale thus marks a practical frontier for experimental particle physics, bridging sub-GeV phenomena and potential new physics at higher energies.