calutron

[ kal-yuh-tron ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a device for separating isotopes by atomic mass, operating in a manner similar to a mass spectrograph.

calutron

/ ˈkæljʊˌtrɒn /

noun

1. a device used for the separation of isotopes

Word History and Origins

Origin of calutron¹

1940–45, Americanism; Cal(ifornia) U(niversity) + -tron

Word History and Origins

Origin of calutron¹

C20: from Cal(ifornia) U(niversity) + -tron

Example Sentences

Ruth Sisson, one of the “Calutron Girls” at Oak Ridge, Tenn., ran a machine enriching the uranium used in Little Boy, the Hiroshima bomb.

From Washington Post

Since it was not known which uranium isotope separation technique — gaseous diffusion, calutron, or centrifuge — would be the most successful, General Leslie Groves insisted that all techniques be pursued simultaneously.

From Salon

He spent much of the early war years in Oak Ridge, Tenn., assisting in the development of the Calutron farm there to enrich uranium-235 for the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bomb, according to friend and former colleague Jose Alonso.

From Washington Post

Dr. Lofgren left his graduate studies to become a full-time employee of the Radiation Lab and led development of the ion sources for the Calutron.

From Washington Post

Lofgren left his studies to become a full-time employee of the Radiation Lab and led development of the ion sources for the Calutron.

From Los Angeles Times