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From the standpoint of particle physics, these aren’t that exciting. Though you would never know it from the article, the electric fields in these things are ab
by knzhou 7y ago
From the standpoint of particle physics, these aren’t that exciting. Though you would never know it from the article, the electric fields in these things are about the same as the fields in existing accelerators, because they’re both limited by the fact that strong fields start ripping the thing apart. So they wouldn’t actually “shrink” particle accelerators at all. They’re 1,000 times smaller than the existing cells, but you would need 1,000 times more of them to get the same effect.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- not2b 7y agoThe intended application isn't particle physics: "These won’t be rivaling macro-size accelerators like SLAC’s or the Large Hadron Collider, but they could be much more useful for research and clinical applications where planet-destroying power levels aren’t required. For instance, a chip-sized electron accelerator might be able to direct radiation into a tumor surgically rather than through the skin."