Home History Basic Info Advanced Info and Uses

Cyclotron

http://education.jlab.org/glossary/cyclotron.html

A cyclotron is used to accelerate charged particles.  It consists of two electromagnets, with two semicircular cavities between them.  A radioactive substance is placed in the center of the cyclotron.  This substance emits charged particles (alpha, beta, gamma, deuterons, etc.).  These particles move, but eventually run out of energy and would stop if not for a radio wave generator.  This gives one of the semicircles a positive charge, and the other a negative charge.  The previously emitted charged particles flow to the semicircle with the opposite charge.  As those particles are jumping the gap between the two semicircles, the radio wave generator reverses the charges.  The electromagnets force the particle to travel in a circular motion because the particle is always attracted to the center of one of the magnets.  The particle travels around the semicircle, and jumps to the oppositely charged part.  Again, the radio wave generator reverses the charges, and the cycle continues.  The particle spirals outwards, because of centripetal force, and this limits how much one can accelerate the charged particles.  Eventually, the particles shoot out of an exit port at greatly increased speeds.