Linear_accelerator_animation_16frames_1.6sec.gif
Summary
Description Linear accelerator animation 16frames 1.6sec.gif |
English:
Animation illustrating how a
linear particle accelerator
works. It consists of a particle source
(S)
which injects particles into a beamline of open-ended cylindrical electrodes
(C1, C2, C3, C4)
of progressively increasing length. An
electronic oscillator
and
amplifier
(G)
produces a radio frequency AC voltage of high potential which is applied to the electrodes. Opposite polarity voltage is applied to alternate electrodes, so adjacent electrodes are at opposite voltages. This produces an oscillating
electric field
(E)
in the gaps between electrodes, which exerts force on the particles when they pass through, accelerating them. The particle source injects a group of particles into the first electrode at the correct time so that the polarity of the voltage is opposite to the charge on the particles. The length of the electrodes is calculated so that the particle takes exactly one half cycle of the RF voltage to pass through each electrode. The polarity of the voltage reverses as the particle passes through the electrode so when the particle reaches the gap the field is in the correct direction to accelerate it. This is illustrated by the graph
V
(x)
which shows the
electric potential
along the accelerator axis and how it changes with time. At the moment the particle passes through the gap between electrodes there is always a drop in potential. In this example it is assumed that the accelerated particles
(red dots)
have a positive charge. Although the animation shows only one particle being accelerated per cycle, the particle source actually injects many particles each cycle. The accelerator is enclosed in a vacuum tank, which is not shown. The action is shown slowed down enormously; the oscillation frequency of the radio frequency generator
(G)
is usually in the
microwave
range, changing polarity billions of times per second.
|
Date | |
Source | Own work |
Author | Chetvorno |
Other versions | Linear accelerator animation 16frames 1.12sec.gif Faster version |
Licensing
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This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication . |
The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the
public domain
by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en CC0 Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication false false |
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Animation illustrating how a linear accelerator works