cyclotron

[ sahy-kluh-tron, sik-luh- ]

noun

, Physics.

1. an accelerator in which particles are propelled in spiral paths by the use of a constant magnetic field.

cyclotron

/ ˈsaɪkləˌtrɒn /

noun

1. a type of particle accelerator in which the particles spiral inside two D-shaped hollow metal electrodes placed facing each other under the effect of a strong vertical magnetic field, gaining energy by a high-frequency voltage applied between these electrodes

cyclotron

/ sī′klə-trŏn′ /

1. A type of particle accelerator that accelerates charged subatomic particles, such as protons and electrons, in an outwardly spiraling path, greatly increasing their energies. Cyclotrons are used to bring about high-speed particle collisions in order to study subatomic structures.
2. Compare linear acceleratorSee also synchrocyclotronSee Note at particle accelerator

cyclotron

1. The first kind of particle accelerator built.

Notes

Cyclotrons are now used for special research projects.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyclotron¹

First recorded in 1930–35; cyclo- + -tron

Example Sentences

"Humanity has been on the lookout for the technology to make the most precise clocks since the dawn of the modern ages," said Rogachev, head of Texas A&M Physics and Astronomy and a member of the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute.

From Science Daily

Whether Yuan himself or the prospect of access to a cyclotron had a greater influence on Wu's transfer decision remains open to debate!

From Scientific American

They had no way of knowing that, as the Allies discovered after Germany’s surrender, there had been no German bomb project because the Germans miscalculated the physics involved and didn’t have access to the resources and equipment, including the cyclotron, in the U.S. and Britain.

From Los Angeles Times

The inventor of the cyclotron, the most important atom-smasher of its era and the invention that transformed particle physics in the 1930s, Lawrence was featured on the cover of Time magazine on Nov. 1, 1937, over the caption “He creates and destroys,” and won the Nobel Prize in 1939.

From Los Angeles Times

From 1982 to 2020, the K-500 cyclotron produced beams of atomic nuclei ranging from hydrogen to uranium for experiments in nuclear physics, relying on superconducting magnets to confine the particles.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• accelerator