Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne National Laboratory
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Argonne National Laboratory
Zero Gradient Synchrotron 4
II: Buildings and Grounds
Drawing (photograph copy) demonstrating the production and usage of the Zero Gradient Synchrotron’s high energy protons. From the top, hydrogen atoms are stripped of electrons in the ion source, and the resulting protons are accelerated to 750,000 electron volts in the Cockcroft-Walton generator. They are then accelerated to 50 million electron volts (MeV) by the linear accelerator (linac), and then injected into the 600-foot magnet ring of the synchrotron, and accelerated clockwise to 12.5 BeV in one second. Each time the protons complete a circuit they receive a small increase in energy after passing through the ring’s radio frequency accelerating cavity. When accelerated, the protons can be made to strike targets within the ring to produce secondary particles, such as, mesons, hyperons, and anti-particles, or they can be extracted from the synchrotron. Researchers are shielded from the machine’s intense radiation by a 12-foot thick steel wall erected between the synchrotron ring and the meson experimental area. This means, however, that they cannot get close enough to study these short-lived particles. At this time one of the experimental areas has an external beam which will be used in this effort.
Zero gradient synchrotrons | Particle accelerators | Nuclear physics--Instruments | Particles (Nuclear physics) | Drawings (Visual works)
Argonne National Laboratory
Undated
Photographic prints; 26.8 x 20.8 cm
9700 S. Cass Avenue | Argonne, Illinois
X08
Archival Photographic Files
University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center
apf2-00485

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