What is Cyclotron: Definition and 99 Discussions

A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator invented by Ernest O. Lawrence in 1929–1930 at the University of California, Berkeley, and patented in 1932. A cyclotron accelerates charged particles outwards from the center of a flat cylindrical vacuum chamber along a spiral path. The particles are held to a spiral trajectory by a static magnetic field and accelerated by a rapidly varying (radio frequency) electric field. Lawrence was awarded the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics for this invention.Cyclotrons were the most powerful particle accelerator technology until the 1950s when they were superseded by the synchrotron, and are still used to produce particle beams in physics and nuclear medicine. The largest single-magnet cyclotron was the 4.67 m (184 in) synchrocyclotron built between 1940 and 1946 by Lawrence at the University of California, Berkeley, which could accelerate protons to 730 mega electron volts (MeV). The largest cyclotron of its kind is the 17.1 m (56 ft) multimagnet TRIUMF accelerator at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, which can produce 520 MeV protons.
Close to 1500 cyclotrons are used in nuclear medicine worldwide for the production of radionuclides.

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  1. W

    Summer project ideas? Possibly a cyclotron?

    I'm looking for some sort of project to do this summer. I was looking around, and I heard about making a small, home-made cyclotron, but it sounds like materials would be hard to get and expensive. So, does anyone have any examples of a great, preferably time-consuming project that I could...
  2. C

    Proper acceleration of cyclotron particle.

    Hey! I've been working on a problem here for which I have found the four acceleration of a particle going in a circle with radius R to be \underline{A} = -R\omega^2 \gamma^2 (0,\cos(\omega \gamma \tau), \sin(\omega \gamma \tau), 0) and in going from this to find the proper acceleration I...
  3. Z

    Can a 14-Year-Old Legally Build a Cyclotron?

    Ok , so I was wondering if you could legally build a cyclotron accelerator , I am fourteen years old , so if there are any permits required , would they be accessible by a fourteen year old? , I realize it has the potential to produce ionization radiation , and that's the part that i think i...
  4. P

    Build a Cyclotron - Step-by-Step Guide for DIYers

    I want to build a cyclotron. Not necessarily a big one, and just for fun. I have a crude blueprint from a wikipedia article, but seeing as I don't know where to begin, could someone help me break it down? here is a link of the one I want to make...
  5. B

    How to build a medium power cyclotron

    Hey. I am a freshman in high school, and iv'e been reading about building a cyclotron. I have the basic principles understood but can someone explain how exactly i would assemble on, and the mathematics behind it. ALso and information about how the fields interact would be phenomenal. I have...
  6. xaratustra

    Landau quantization of cyclotron orbit

    I don't know what the speed of light c is doing in the Hamiltonian for the Landau quantization. The term doesn't have dimensions of momentum anymore. :confused: \hat{H}=\dfrac{\hat{p}^2_x}{2m}+\dfrac{1}{2m}\left(\hat{p}_y-\dfrac{q|\vec{B}|}{c}\hat{x}\right)^2 Any ideas? thanks.
  7. J

    Cyclotron Frequency of a Hydrogen Atom in a Field B

    Hi All, For a hydrogen atom in the field B, torque on the electron is \tau =\mu Bsin\theta =\omega_pJsin\theta => \omega_p=gqB/(2m) If we only consider orbital motion (ignore spin), then g=1. So \omega_p=qB/(2m). (It follows the steps from Feynman's lectures VII section 34-3) For a single...
  8. B

    Cyclotron: Speed of Particle After 2nd Gap Crossing

    Homework Statement A cyclotron is a particle accelerator made of two electrodes shaped as two empty half-circles separated by a small gap. We consider the dees as lying on the x-y plane, having radius R, both with centre in the origin, and each occupying the semiplane of positive and...
  9. S

    How does a cyclotron work?what can it be used to make?can it be made

    how does a cyclotron work?what can it be used to make? can it be made as a school project?
  10. R

    Can a cyclotron be used for nuclear fusion

    essentailly cyclotrons are used to smash one atom into another. can it be done to fuse atoms? oh and i read that cyclotrons are used to treat canncer. they shoot ionizing particles at the cancer while, avoiding non cancer tissue. if anyone knows the best way to cure cancer in terms of...
  11. K

    Minimum time through a cyclotron

    Homework Statement v initial is also equal to 1000 Homework Equations ? The Attempt at a Solution the only time the particle actually speeds up is during the crossing of the dees. so integral of of Vdx = the maximum energy of the system, but i don't know how to make this into an...
  12. M

    Electron's effective cyclotron mass

    Hi! I'm looking for a derivation of effective cyclotron mass for electron in randomly oriented magnetic field and quadratic anisotropic dispersion. It's quite obvious, how to do that, but I'm stuck trying to calculate area of the ellipse (intersection of ellipsoid of equal energy and...
  13. J

    Electromagnetic power of a proton leaving a cyclotron

    The electromagnetic power radiated by a nonrelativistic particle with charge q moving with acceleration a is: P = \frac{q^2 a^2}{6 \pi \epsilon_0 c^3} If a proton is placed in a cyclotron with a radius of 0.500 m and a magnetic field of magnitude 0.350 T, what electromagnetic power...
  14. B

    Magnetic Fields of cyclotron

    Homework Statement The two main concepts in this chapter are: Moving charges create magnetic fields & Magnetic fields exert forces on moving charges. You have decided to make a home made cyclotron (particle accelerator). You decide to use a household circuit use a 120V, 15 Amp circuit. If...
  15. J

    Deriving the rate of change of the radius of a moving particle in a cyclotron.

    The question: A particle in a cyclotron gaines energy q \Delta V from the alternating power supply each time it passes from one dee to the other. The time interval for each full orbit is T = \frac{2 \pi}{\omega} = \frac{2 \pi m}{q B} so the particle's average rate of increase in...
  16. G

    Equation for Determining the Velocity of a Proton in a Cyclotron?

    Hello, I'm always seeing the energy of a particle being accelerated in a cyclotron expressed in MeV or GeV. How do I determine the velocity of a proton in m/s ? Thanks!
  17. U

    Distance travelled in a Cyclotron

    Homework Statement Known data: v_{final}=3.99*10^{7}m/s f_{osc}=12MHz B=1.6T R=0.53m V_{acc}=80kV q_{deut}=1.602*10^{-19}C m_{deut}=3.344*10^{-27}kg answer according to Halliday and Resnick x=240m I got it all, and I have to find how much distance was traveled by the deuteron in the...
  18. G

    Cyclotron with 1500 V between the two dees

    Homework Statement A cyclotron is designed to accelerate deuterium nuclei. (Deuterium has one proton and one neutron in its nucleus.) [ANSWERED] (a) If the cyclotron uses a 2.0-T magnetic field, at what frequency should the dee voltage be alternated? [ANSWERED] (b) If the vacuum chamber has...
  19. R

    Questions about constructing a cyclotron

    I'm working on plans to build a small cyclotron as a DIY project (I'm a high school student). I've spent over a month researching a variety of sources (the rutgers cyclotron, etc.) and am working on some calculations, but I'm stuck with the mean free path equation. the equation I was using...
  20. K

    Energy of Cyclotron: Prove E = 4.8e-3 (B*R*q)2/A

    Homework Statement Prove that the energy of a cyclotron can be expressed as: E (MeV) = 4.8e-3 (B * R * q)2/A Where B is the magnetic field in Tesla R is the maximum radius of the cyclotron in cm. q is the charge of the particle accelerated. A - is the mass number. We can ignore...
  21. P

    Radius & Angular Speed of Proton in Cyclotron

    Homework Statement A cyclotron is to accelerate protons to an energy of 5.4 MeV. The superconducting electromagnet of the cyclotron produces a magnetic field of 3.5 T, perpendicular to the proton’s orbits. a) When the protons have achieved a kinetic energy of 2.7 MeV, what is the radius of...
  22. F

    Build Your Own Cyclotron: Tips and Tricks for Homemade Cyclotron Construction"

    Hey so i wanted to build a cyclotron but i have a few questions about them first... First is do the magnetic "D's" have to be one solid magnet or can they be multiple magnets uniformly spaced out. Also what can i use as a detector if say i want to accelerate a proton to like 75% the...
  23. I

    Solve Cyclotron Motion: m\frac{d\hat{v}}{dt}=q\hat{v}\times\hat{B}

    Homework Statement Given the equation of motion for charged particle in a magnetic field, with mass m and charge q moves in the y-z plane under the influence of a uniform magnetic field \hat{B}=B_{0}\hat{x} is given by: m\frac{d\hat{v}}{dt}=q\hat{v}\times\hat{B} Find the solution to...
  24. H

    Can You Build a Cyclotron at Home?

    Does anybody have any tips/ advice on building a simple cyclotron? I read about Michio Kaku making an accelorater when he was a teen and was wondering how to make one.
  25. T

    What creates the magnetic field on a cyclotron?

    what creates the magnetic field on a cyclotron? in all of the schematics I am looking at it just says "magnetic field points up" like it is extremely apparent as to what creates the magnetic field. I was thinking that a bunch of small diameter solenoids packed side by side would be the best way...
  26. Q

    What Makes the Cyclotron So Versatile?

    Hi, I am having trouble understanding the workings of a cyclotron. Supposing the typical design with two D shaped objects, changing potential differences between the D's, and a source of charges in the center, I can see that the particles would move in arcs (circles) at a constant energy. I...
  27. M

    Cyclotron frequency of proton

    Homework Statement A 66.0-cm-diameter cyclotron uses a 530 V oscillating potential difference between the dees. How many revolutions does the proton make before leaving the cyclotron? Homework Equations f = (q*B)/(2*pi*m) The Attempt at a Solution I find the cyclotron frequency: f =...
  28. E

    Maximum producible energy (electromagnetism; cyclotron)

    This isn't exactly homework, but I felt that I had too much to ask that it wouldn't be right to put this in the regular section. Anyway, I've been reading the original paper on the design of a cyclotron (Lawrence & Livingstone) and there were two parts which didn't agree with what I knew... and...
  29. T

    Charge moving in cyclotron orbit

    Homework Statement The particle moves in a plane perpendicular to the magnetic field direction as shown in the figure. What is omega, the angular frequency of the circular motion? Express omega in terms of q, m, and B_0. Homework Equations omega=2pi/T The Attempt at a...
  30. T

    What is the Relationship Between Period and Magnetic Field in a Cyclotron?

    Homework Statement I am currently writing about Cyclotrons, and want to show how the period is related to the magnetic field. Homework Equations T = \frac{2 \pi}{\omega} \omega = \frac{v}{r} The Attempt at a Solution I have rearranged the above formula to give: T =...
  31. D

    Need help building a Lawrence cyclotron?

    Anyone know how to do it? I do not know where to find dee electromagnets, nor do I even have the complete design of his system.
  32. B

    Cyclotron accelerating protons to 20 MeV with potential gap 100 kV

    Homework Statement A Cyclotron is accelerating proton, where the applied magnetic field is 2 T, the potential gap is 100 KV, then how much turn are required for a kinetic energy of 20 MeV... (a) 300 (b) 200 (c) 150 (d) 100
  33. A

    Peter Heuer High School Students Build Cyclotron - Peter Heuer

    Hi, my name is Peter Heuer, I am a high school student and an avid reader of physics forums :) I have been working with two friends over the last year and a half to build a small cyclotron to enter in a science fair. We have completed our design but are having trouble funding the project...
  34. J

    Relativistic cyclotron frequency

    Since the acceleration is transverse to the velocity, should we consider the transverse mass in the formula mv^2/r ie \gamma \frac{mv^2}{r} = qvB \implies \frac{v}{\sqrt{1-(v/c)^2}} = \frac{qBr}{m} ?
  35. L

    What is electron cyclotron frequency?

    Can somebody explain the electron cyclotron frequency with minimum math please. thanks.
  36. wolram

    Exploring New Possibilities with Cyclotron Research

    It seems not yet. http://aeroguy.snu.ac.kr/lab/research_cyclo_intro.htm
  37. J

    Calculate the pitch of eletron cyclotron in b field.

    Homework Statement The uniform 26.0 mT magnetic field in the figure points in the positive z-direction. An electron enters the region of magnetic field with a speed of 5.50E6 and at an angle of 30 deg. above the xy-plane. The problem defines the pitch to be the distance between the...
  38. B

    Cyclotron Frequency problem

    Homework Statement What is the cyclotron frequency in a 3.10 T magnetic field of the ions listed below? The masses of the atoms are shown in the table. The accuracy of your answers should reflect the accuracy of the data given below. (Although N2+ and CO+ both have a nominal molecular mass of...
  39. cepheid

    Cyclotron Resonance (Solid State Physics)

    Homework Statement Cyclotron resonance for a spheroidal energy surface. Consider the energy surface \epsilon(\mathbf{k}) = \hbar^2 \left( \frac{k_x^2 + k_y^2}{2m_t} + \frac{k_z^2}{2m_l} \right) where mt is the transverse mass parameter and ml is the longitudinal mass parameter. A surface...
  40. B

    How Do Ashcroft and Mermin Derive the Cyclotron Effective Mass Expression?

    could anyone elucidate on how Ashcroft and Mermin get \sqrt{\frac{det M}{M_{zz}}} for the cyclotron effective mass (page 571)? Is this true for all energy contours or only certain ones? And if that's the case which because they don't seem to specify? thanks.
  41. C

    Solving Cyclotron Movement Problem with 500V and 0.790B

    Homework Statement A 61.0 cm diameter cyclotron uses a 500 V oscillating potential difference between the dees. The magnetic field strength is 0.790 ? How many revolutions would a proton make before leaving the cyclotron? Homework Equations v/r=Bq/m Ke=1/2mv^2 The Attempt at a...
  42. K

    Cyclotron Motion: Does Charge Require Energy to Move?

    We know in a cyclotron motion, qvB=mv^2/R Can you please tell me if the charge requires energy as it moves... It is obvious that when it starts it requires energy provided by only the magnetic field. As it starts, it has constant velocity...no dissipation.Does it mean its energy remains...
  43. S

    Cyclotron Frequency and magnetic field problem

    hey this is my first post, need help with a homework problem. What is the cyclotron frequency in a 3.55 T magnetic field of the ions listed below? The masses of the atoms are shown in the table. The accuracy of your answers should reflect the accuracy of the data given below. (Although N2+...
  44. C

    Calculating Proton Energy for a Large Cyclotron Using Earth's Magnetic Fields

    The answer is 1.56 x 10^13 I can't get the answer. Fm = F centripetal Force qvB = mv^2/r v= rqB/m Calculate energy KE = 1/2 mv^2 I put in v = rqB/m KE= 1/2 (rqB)^2/m I plug in all the #, but still can't the answer please help, thanks so much!
  45. M

    Can an amatur biult Cyclotron power a free electron laser?

    has anyone attempted this as a project?
  46. D

    Experimental Setup Ideas for Simple Cyclotron Particle Accelerators

    Hi. I'm a college student, part of a group who will be doing a hands on study of particle physics next year. We plan to build a linear particle accelerator, after which we may go on to build a cyclotron. We'll be accelerating electrons to start off with. I would like to find out more about...
  47. G

    Cyclotron, why do they not use electric fields?

    In a cyclotron, why do they not use electric fields to move them in circles?
  48. P

    Cyclotron formula and Transverse Mass

    The cyclotron forumla is derived here See -www.geocities.com/physics_world/cyclotron.htm That's a lot of work for something so simple. Recall that the relativistic force can be written as equation. Recall that F = M_t A_t + A_L M_L where M_t = transverse mass A_t = transverse...
  49. T

    Build Cyclotron: Find 12" Neodymium Disc Magnet

    I'm trying to build a small cyclotron and am thus searching for a magnet. I've been looking for a neodythium disc magnet that I could have cut in half to act as the two 'D' magnets in the cyclotron. The size of the magnet needs be somewhere around 12" in diameter but I can't seem to find...
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