3 ms·

Hobbyist particle accelerator? Is something like that possible?

candiddevmike 3y ago
Would love to see the BOM for this!
jdougan 3y ago
Using older technology. Years ago there was a Scientific American Amateur Scientist column that outlined how to make a Van de Graff generator powered particle accelerator. If memory serves that was one of the columns that ended up in C.L. Stong's book of amsci columns.
- neltnerb 3y ago
  If memory serves, the van der graff generator at the Boston Museum of Science was literally used as a particle accelerator at MIT for decades (apparently built by the Van de Graaff). I think the generator itself was the accelerator and just needed to go through an evacuated tube to be used. > The largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator in the world, built by Dr. Van de Graaff in the 1930s, is now displayed permanently at Boston's Museum of Science. With two conjoined 4.5 m (15 ft) aluminium spheres standing on columns 22 ft (6.7 m) tall, this generator can often obtain 2 MV (2 million volts). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-airinsulated-van-de-graaff-generator https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-airinsula...
  - jdougan 3y ago
    Yup, that matches my memory of the AmSci project. Particle source, evacuated tube, generator and target. And shielding, depending on the target. Obviously, anything you can build in a normal USAian basement is probably not going to be 2MV, but it should be fun anyways.
contravariant 3y ago
Depends on your definition I suppose. A CRT screen would qualify according to some definitions.
- neltnerb 3y ago
  The vacuum tube alone probably qualifies according to most definitions, it's a beam of charged particles accelerated through the control grid and an accelerator voltage. Honestly not sure what else I'd call that. Nowadays what would be the closest common thing... hand held XPS exists for sure, but that's not super common (photoelectric effect that uses x-rays coming in). Can we go with an arc welder or plasma cutter if we use a definition that just means "charged particles going through an accelerating voltage in free space"?

Would love to see the BOM for this!

Using older technology. Years ago there was a Scientific American Amateur Scientist column that outlined how to make a Van de Graff generator powered particle accelerator. If memory serves that was one of the columns that ended up in C.L. Stong's book of amsci columns.

neltnerb 3y ago
If memory serves, the van der graff generator at the Boston Museum of Science was literally used as a particle accelerator at MIT for decades (apparently built by the Van de Graaff). I think the generator itself was the accelerator and just needed to go through an evacuated tube to be used. > The largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator in the world, built by Dr. Van de Graaff in the 1930s, is now displayed permanently at Boston's Museum of Science. With two conjoined 4.5 m (15 ft) aluminium spheres standing on columns 22 ft (6.7 m) tall, this generator can often obtain 2 MV (2 million volts). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-airinsulated-van-de-graaff-generator https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-airinsula...
- jdougan 3y ago
  Yup, that matches my memory of the AmSci project. Particle source, evacuated tube, generator and target. And shielding, depending on the target. Obviously, anything you can build in a normal USAian basement is probably not going to be 2MV, but it should be fun anyways.

contravariant 3y ago

Depends on your definition I suppose. A CRT screen would qualify according to some definitions.

neltnerb 3y ago
The vacuum tube alone probably qualifies according to most definitions, it's a beam of charged particles accelerated through the control grid and an accelerator voltage. Honestly not sure what else I'd call that. Nowadays what would be the closest common thing... hand held XPS exists for sure, but that's not super common (photoelectric effect that uses x-rays coming in). Can we go with an arc welder or plasma cutter if we use a definition that just means "charged particles going through an accelerating voltage in free space"?