as its name states, the research at the lhc involves the collision of hadrons. a hadron is a particle which consists of a number of quarks held together by the subatomic strong force. protons and neutrons are examples of a hadron. the lhc primarily uses the collision of protons in its experiments. protons are parts of atoms with a positive charge. the lhc accelerates these protons through the tunnel until they reach nearly the speed of light. different protons are directed through the tunnel in opposite directions. when they collide, they create conditions similar to the early universe.