Inside a Particle Accelerator
All particle accelerators, whether linacs or circular, have the following basic parts:
- Particle source- provides the particles that will be accelerated
- Copper tube- the particle beam travels in a vacuum inside this tube
- Klystrons- microwave generators that make the waves on which the particles ride
- Electromagnets(conventional, superconducting) - keep the particles confined to a narrow beam while they are travelling in the vacuum, and also steer the beam when necessary
- Targets——什么accelerated particles collide with
- Detectors- devices that look at the pieces and radiation thrown out from the collision
- Vacuum systems- remove air and dust from the tube of the accelerator
- Cooling systems- remove the heat generated by the magnets
- Computer/electronic systems- control the operation of the accelerator and analyze the data from the experiments
- Shielding- protects the operators, technicians and public from the radiation generated by the experiments
- Monitoring systems- closed-circuit television and radiation detectors to see what happens inside the accelerator (for safety purposes)
- Electrical power system- provides electricity for the entire device
- Storage rings- store particle beams temporarily when not in use
In the next sections, we will examine these parts in detail, focusing on a linear accelerator like the one at SLAC.
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