The Cyclotron
The Cyclotron
The cyclotron was invented in 1932 by Ernest O. Lawrence and M. S. Livingston at Berkeley. Particles or ions are injected into the center of two hollow D-shaped objects called "dees". A magnetic field is applied to them that is perpendicular to the plane in which they move and they accelerate across a gap between the dees by a potential difference. The orbit radius increases and eventually the particles gain energy and are ejected to hit a target. It is one of the earliest types of accelerators in use today.