Word: electronics
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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According to Livingston, the electron accelerator is not properly an "accelerator" in the normal sense of the word. An experiment may start with electrons at .99 the speed of light and increase the velocity to .99999 the speed of light--not too great a change in percentage terms. What does increase dramatically is the energy (and the mass). At the beginning of an experiment, a beam of electrons may have a rest energy of 1/2 million electron volts; it is directed through a linear "pre-accelerator" (or "injector") where the energy is increased to 20 million electron volts. Then...
Meanwhile, the mass undergoes a similar increase: the rest mass of a proton is 1800 times as great as that of an electron; by the end of an accelerator experiment, says Livingston, an electron may become "over 6 times as heavy as a proton." In other words, the mass of the electron is increased 12,000 fold; thus, Livingston notes, many physicists half-seriously call the machine a "ponderator...
...Once the electrons have been accelerated or "ponderated," the aim is to direct a beam into the experimental area where measurements can be made of the unusual properties and inter-actions. One method already devised is to place a target in the part of the electron beam; this will transform the electrons into X-rays of very high energy. Because they are uncharged, these rays will not be deflected by the magnetic field of the accelerator and will continue on a straight tangential line into the experimental area. Physicists would also like to be able to deflect a beam...
...purpose of accelerator experiments, Livingston says, is to "learn more about nuclear force,' to find out "why certain particles (protons, electrons, neutrons, etc.) are the only stable forms of matter." He believes that this new and unique electron accelerator will accomplish much toward answering these questions...
Although Livingston is a member of the MIT faculty, the Cambridge Electron Accelerator is administratively a department of Harvard University...