what is a linear accelerator, and what does it do?

Question

please in scientific terms

Answer 1

It accelerates nuclear particles. Some are designed specifically for electrons and positrons. Others are designed to accelerate protons (and anti-protons).

In other words, it adds energy to the particles it is accelerating. Sometimes it adds enough kinetic energy to the particles that their speed becomes relativistic (where Lorentzes transformation must be applied).

The other definition of a linear accelerator, is... that it is layed out in a straight line. Other types of accelerators are circular.

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Answer 2

Linear particle accelerator
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Linear accelerator (LINAC) used for medical radiation therapy; example made by Siemens AG.
Linear accelerator (LINAC) used for medical radiation therapy; example made by Siemens AG.

A linear particle accelerator (also called a LINAC) is an electrical device for the acceleration of subatomic particles. This sort of particle accelerator has many applications, from the generation of X-Rays in a hospital environment, to an injector into a higher energy synchrotron at a dedicated experimental particle physics laboratory. The design of a linac depends on the type of particle that is being accelerated: electron, proton or ion. They range in size from a cathode ray tube to the 3-km long Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California.

Answer 3

A Linear accelerator is different than a circular accelerator (such as a cyclotron or synchrotron) in that it accelerates particles in a straight line.

It's basically pairs of plates with a charge on them - A charged particle enters between the plates and is repelled from one and attracted to the other.

It exits this pair through a small hole in the plates and enters the next pair of plates going faster than it was before...

The sequential acceleration of the particle achieves very high speeds/energies.

Hope this helps!

Orion

EDIT: Added a link to the Wikipedia article on LINACS - as well as those for Cyclotrons and Synchrotrons so you can compare.

Answer 4

An accelerator is a very, very long , circular tunnel in which magnets are used to accelerate atomic particles in opposite directions and then smash them into each other at enormous levels of energy. This is how super heavy elements are created, even if they only last a few miliseconds.

There is currently one being built outside of Geneva, Switzerland which will be 35 miles in circumfrance. A project to build a 50 mile tunnel in Texas was killed last year for lack of funds.

Answer 5

Here you go:
http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/accelerator.html
-MM