2023-11-30 18:21:44
Researchers are working on a compact particle accelerator capable of producing a 10 GeV beam despite a length of only 20 meters. This device could open the way to new applications in medicine and electronics.
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Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have succeeded in setting a new power record with a compact particle accelerator. Particle accelerators typically need long tunnels that are often several kilometers long. The largest, the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN, measures 27 kilometers.
In an article published in the journal Matter and Radiation at Extremes, the researchers indicate that they have succeeded in producing an electron beam of 10 GeV (billions of electron volts) with a particle accelerator only 20 meters long. For comparison, the two accelerators capable of achieving such power in the United States are around three kilometers long.
Nanoparticles that release electrons
According to the researchers, the secret to achieving such a small size is the use of nanoparticles. They compare the laser to a boat on the surface of a lake, which creates waves in its wake. Electrons ride these waves. Just as jet skis can help surfers reach big waves, nanoparticles release electrons at exactly the right time and place.
The researchers used the Texas Petawatt Laser to test their system, but it only produces one pulse per hour. They are currently working on 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 to be able to use this particle accelerator to test the radiation resistance of electronic devices intended for use in space, or to develop new cancer therapies and advanced medical imaging techniques.
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