What is a Particle Accelerator?

Many of us have heard talk of particle accelerators but most of us have only a hazy idea of what these things are and how they actually work. In simple language, a particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to "shoot" charged particles until they reach high speeds. These high speed particles can be controlled into small areas and used for a variety of purposed. A basic CRT television is an example of a very simple form of acceleration of electrons--this is how the image on your TV appears.

Particle Acceleration

In the early 20th century, particle accelerators were called "atom smashers" because atoms were the objects that were originally propelled. Nowadays we have discovered how to obtain subatomic particles from atoms without colliding them, so protons and electrons are the particles accelerated today. There are an estimated 26,000 accelerators worldwide. Only about 1% of these are high powered accelerators used for research. 44% are used for radio therapy and 41% are used for ion implantation.

How do they work?

In simple terms, particle accelerators use the power of high energy electromagnets to force particles in a circular path, helping it to gain speed as it circles over and over again millions of times. These accelerators can often be miles long and are mostly in underground facilities. Researchers using high powered particle accelerators are most interest in the interactions of very basic particles like quarks, electrons, positrons, and even photons.

What can they do?

These high powered collisions are often the only way of observing things like quarks. Other scientists use a stripped nuclei accelerated to great speeds to see how the nucleus acts without its electron shield. Experiments like these can help simulate what the first seconds after the Big Bang might have been like. High energy electrons have also been discovered to give off radiation and strong light under great speeds. This fact can prove useful in a number of different fields.

Particle accelerators are amazing machines that provide new scientific insights each day. It is exciting to see each new discovery that they make every day.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_accelerator

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