[amelius]

This is a bit like driving into a brick wall, and then asking if you could use the released energy to go faster ...

[sveolon]

Imagine you drive into a wall of tnt, break through it, and as you exit it explodes and gives you an extra boost. Yes, you’ve lost some speed at the beginning but you’ve gained much more

[_factor]

The tnt has potential energy. The only reason those protons have energy is because you’re smacking through them with energy you’ve already found.