cyclotron

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a circular particle accelerator in which a magnetic field bends charged particles into an expanding spiral and an alternating electric field accelerates them whenever they cross the gap between electrodes

   The hospital's cyclotron accelerates protons to produce short-lived isotopes for medical imaging.

Formed from cyclo- ("circle"), ultimately from Greek kyklos, + -tron, a suffix used in names of scientific devices. Ernest O. Lawrence invented the device in 1929; its name refers to the repeated circular motion of charged particles through the accelerating field.

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