Particle Accelerator: Definition, Types & Uses

Particle Accelerator is defined as a machine that accelerates elementary particles like electrons or protons to very high energies. 

• Particle accelerators are used in fundamental research for an improved understanding of matter.
• They are also used in a variety of applications related to health, food quality, energy and aerospace technologies.
• Particle accelerators can be both linear or circular in shape and are of different sizes.
• Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva, Switzerland is the largest particle accelerator.
• Particle accelerator can accelerate two beams of protons to an energy of 6.5 TeV. 

Key Terms: Particle Accelerator, Spectrometer, Electrostatic Particle Accelerator, Electrodynamic Accelerator, Linear Accelerator, Circular Accelerator

---

What is Particle Accelerator?

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Particle Accelerator is a machine used to propel charged particles or ions to high speed and contain them in well-defined beams using electromagnetic fields.  

Particle Accelerator is used for various purposes in research arena such as 

• Oncologists
• Radioisotope Production For Medical Diagnoses
• Ion Implanter for Semiconductor Devices
• Accelerator Mass Spectrometer

Particle Accelerator

---

Types of Particle Accelerator

[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]

Particle Accelerator was frist created by Ernest Lawrence in 1930. They are classified based on their accelerating potential. The two types of particles accelerators are:

Electrostatic Particle Accelerator

• Electrostatic Particle Accelerator is uses static electric fields to accelerate elementary particles. 
• In this type of accelerator, the kinetic energy available depends on accelerating voltage. 
• The accelerating voltage is limited by electrical breakdown. 
• Electrostatic accelerators are outnumbered due to the greater energy needs. 
• Cathode-Ray Tube is a small-scale example of this type of accelerator.

Electrostatic Particle Accelerator

Two main types of electrostatic accelerators are

• Cockcroft-Walton Accelerators

• Van de Graaff Accelerators

Cockcroft-Walton accelerator uses a diode capacitor to produce high voltage while the Van de Graaff accelerator uses a moving fabric belt to produce high voltage. 

Read More:

Electrodynamic / Electromagnetic Accelerator

Electrodynamic Accelerator uses dynamic electric fields to accelerate elementary particles. Dynamic fields are preferred over static fields to accelerate particles to high energy. 

Electrodynamic accelerators are of three types-:

•  Magnetic Induction Accelerator: It is a type of particle accelerator that accelerates the particles by induction from an increasing magnetic field. Two types of magnetic induction accelerators are Linear induction accelerators and Betatrons.
• Linear Accelerators: It is the type of electrodynamic accelerator that accelerates elementary particles in a straight line. In this type of accelerator, electromagnetic fields accelerate the particles along a linear beamline.
• Circular Accelerators: The electrodynamic accelerator accelerates the elementary particles in a circular path. The radiation of the particles towards the tangent of the circular path is known as synchrotron light.

       Electromagnetic Accelerator

Examples of electrodynamic accelerator are 

• Magnetic Induction Accelerators
• Betatron
• Linear Induction Accelerators
• Linear Accelerators
• Circular or Cyclic RF Accelerators
• Cyclotrons
• Synchrocyclotrons
• Isochronous Cyclotrons
• Synchrotrons

---

Uses of Particle Accelerators

[Click Here for Sample Questions]

Particle Accelerators are not only useful for research in the field of physics, but also in many technical and industrial fields. The estimated number of particle accelerators in the world is 30,000. Most accelerators are used in radiotherapy, ion implantation, industrial processing and research, biomedical research, etc. The main uses of particle accelerators are:

High Energy Physics

• Particle Accelerators help the physicist to study the dynamics and structure of matter, space, and time. 

• It creates beams of electrons, protons, and antiprotons high in energy. 
• They are made to interact with each other or with simple nuclei. 
• The largest particle accelerator is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, operating since 2009. 

Nuclear Physics and Isotopes Production

• • Particle accelerators are used to study the structure and properties of nuclei and condensed matter at extremely high temperatures. 

• It is also used to recreate and study the phenomena that occurred in the universe, like Big Bang Theory. 

• It is also used to produce proton beams which are helpful in the production of isotopes. 
• An example of this type of accelerator is the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Synchrotron Radiation 

• It is the electromagnetic radiation emitted when the charged particles are accelerated perpendicular to their velocity. 

• Free-electron lasers are a special case of synchrotron radiation that provides shorter pulses with high temporal coherence. 
• The prominent examples of Lasers are X-Rays, FELIX in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and TELBE in Dresden, Germany.

Low-Energy Machines and Particle Therapy

• The low-energy accelerators use a single pair of electrodes with a few thousand volts of DC Voltage between them. 
• This type of accelerator is known as an ion implanter and is used to manufacture integrated circuits. 
• An example of this accelerator type is Cathode-Ray tubes found in television sets, X-rays, etc.
• These accelerators are also used to convert AC voltage to DC voltage. 
• Beams of accelerated nuclei at low energy are used as particle therapy for cancer treatment. 

Radiation Sterilization of Medical Devices

• Electron Beam Processing is commonly used to sterilize medical equipment. 

• As electron beams produce a high dose rate, less exposure time is required, reducing polymer degradation. 
• Gamma radiation kills the bacteria by breaking down the bacterial DNA. 
• Around 40% of medical instruments worldwide are cleaned using radiation. 

Read More:

---

Things to Remember

• Particle Accelerator is a device that accelerates elementary particles and contains them in well-defined beams using electromagnetic fields. 
• Electrostatic Accelerator and Electrodynamic Accelerator are the two types of particle accelerators. 
• Electrostatic Accelerator is an accelerator that uses static electric fields to accelerate elementary particles. 
• Electrodynamic Accelerator is the type of accelerator which uses dynamic electric fields to accelerate elementary particles. 
• Some important uses of particle accelerators are High Energy Physics, Nuclear physics, isotope production, radiation sterilization of medical devices, etc.

---

Previous Year Questions

1. The motion of a particle in straight line is an example of… (JKCET - 2013)
2. A particle moves along Y-axis in such a way that its… (JCECE - 2005)
3. A body can have acceleration even if its velocity is zero… (AIIMS - 2013)
4. The displacement, velocity and acceleration in a simple harmonic motion… (JKCET 2013)
5. The dimensional formula for acceleration, velocity and length…
6. Average acceleration vector for a particle having uniform circular motion…
7. The effective acceleration of a body, when thrown upwards with acceleration…
8. A particle starts from rest. Its acceleration (a) versus time (t)... (JEE Advanced 2004)
9. The depth d at which the value of acceleration due to gravity becomes… (KEAM)
10. What happens to the acceleration due to gravity with the… (JKCET 2014)
11. The acceleration of a moving body is found from the… (KEAM)
12. The acceleration of any electron due to the… (BCECE 2010)
13. The ratio of magnitudes of average velocity to average speed…