The researchers are working on a compact particle accelerator capable of producing a 10-GeV beam even though it is only 20 meters long. This device could open the way to new applications in medicine and electronics.
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[EN VIDÉO] LHC: How does the largest particle accelerator work? The Large Hadron Collider, located between France and Switzerland, currently…
Researchers from University of Texas at Austin They succeeded in setting a new energy record using a compact particle accelerator. Particle accelerators typically need long tunnels, often several kilometers in length. The largest, the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN, is 27 kilometers long.
In an article published in the magazine Matter and radiation at the endsThe researchers point out that they succeeded in producing an electron beam with a strength of 10 GeV (billions of electron volts) using a particle accelerator that is only 20 meters long. By comparison, speeders capable of achieving such power in the United States are about three kilometers long.
Nanoparticles that release electrons
According to the researchers, the secret to achieving this small size is the use of nanoparticles. They compared the laser to a boat on the surface of a lake, creating waves in its wake. Electrons ride these waves. Just as jet skis can help surfers reach big waves, nanoparticles release electrons at just the right time and place.
Researchers used Texas petawatt laser To test their system, but it only produces one pulse per hour. They are currently developing a laser for their system that would be small enough to fit on a table, and should produce several thousand pulses per second. Researchers hope they can use this particle accelerator to test the radiation resistance of electronic devices intended for use in space, or to develop new cancer treatments and advanced medical imaging techniques.
