Acceleratorinparticles is a machine capable of accelerating charged protons, electrons or atoms, confining them in narrow beams, with speeds close to the speed of light, through the application of intense electric fields and magnetic. Particle accelerators are used for scientific research and also for the production of synchrotron radiation.
Lookalso: Ionizing radiation - what is it, what are the risks, pThewhat?and it suits
How does a particle accelerator work?
Particle Accelerators use electric fields to speed up particles as protons and electrons through a large potential difference. The trajectory of these particles is controlled by an intense external magnetic field, responsible for focusing the particle beam, making it increasingly narrow.
THE kinetic energy of particles moving within the accelerators is measured in an unconventional unit, the electron volt (eV). This unit is equivalent to how much energy is stored in an electron when subjected to a electric potential of 1 V. An electron volt equals about 1,6.10-19 J, and, in modern particle accelerators, it is possible to achieve collisionsbetween particles whose energy is close to 7 TeV (7.1012 eV). In order for such a large amount of energy to be reached, protons and electrons are accelerated to more than 99% of the speed of light.
The simplest particle accelerators are the van der graaf generator it's the cathode ray tube (used on CRT televisions, also known as tube TVs), both accelerators linear and electrostatics. Linear why do electrical charges gain speed along a straight path, and electrostatics by operating with fieldselectricconstants, that is, they do not vary over time.
Modern particle accelerators feature linear and circular accelerators. An example of modern accelerators is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider). At the LHC, protons are injected into a linear accelerator, then this beam of protons is directed to a sequence of rings. In these rings, the proton beam is increasingly collimated by magnetic fields and accelerated by dynamic electric fields.
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What is a particle accelerator for?
Particle accelerators have many uses, the most common of which is the one that seeks "visualize" extremely energetic subparticles, like the quarks and the higgs bosons. These particles can only be observed for very brief instants, when two atoms moving at speeds very close to the speed of light collide head-on.
Particle Accelerators also serve to produce synchrotron radiation.. Synchroton radiation is the name given to electromagnetic waves emitted by particles moving in the circular ring of a particle accelerator. Radiation is emitted by accelerated particles, thus some particle accelerators can produce different "lines of light" — x-rays, gamma rays and any desired frequencies. These radiations are used for the most diverse purposes: structural analysis of materials, oncological treatments, image exams, etc.
Lookalso: Discover the subparticles that give rise to protons and neutrons
Where are the particle accelerators?
Most particle accelerators are found in universities and research centers around the world. Currently there are about 30 thousand particle accelerators in operation.
Particle Accelerators in Brazil
Brazil has large particle accelerators in the National Synchroton Light Laboratory (LNLS), among them stands out the Sirius, one of the most modern 4th generation synchroton light sources in Brazil and in the world. The new particle accelerator is being implemented and will serve several purposes, such as academic research related to energy, the environment, defense, industry, health, etc.
The Sirius accelerator will be able to produce lines of light billions of times more intense than those produced by the UVX, opened in 1997 and closed in 2019. In this way, new researches can be carried out, boosting the development of national science.
By Rafael Hellerbrock
Physics teacher
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
HELERBROCK, Rafael. "What is a particle accelerator?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/fisica/o-que-e-um-acelerador-particulas.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
Physics
Do you know what an electric field is? The electric field is vector, that is, at each point in space it has a specific module, direction and direction. The electric field is responsible for the emergence of forces of attraction and repulsion between electrical charges. Its units are Volts per meter or Newtons per coulomb.
Physics
Do you know what the speed of light is? In a vacuum, light can travel at a speed of 299,792,458 meters per second. To this day, nothing is known to be able to move faster than her. The speed of light does not depend on its emitting source, nor on its observers, but exclusively on the medium in which it propagates.
