A drift tube from the Linac 1. This was the first tank of the linear accelerator Linac1, the injection system for the Proton Synchrotron, It ran for 34 years (1958 - 1992). Protons entered at the far end and were accelerated between the copper drift tubes by an oscillating electromagnetic field. The field flipped 200 million times a second (200 MHz) so the protons spent 5 nanoseconds crossing a drift tube and a gap. Moving down the tank, the tubes and gaps had to get longer as the protons gained speed. The tank accelerated protons from 500 KeV to 10 MeV. Linac1 was also used to accelerate deutrons and alpha particles for the Intersecting Storage Rings and oxygen and sulpher ions for the Super Proton Synchrotron heavy ion programme.
Sem títuloThis is a collision region from the worlds first proton collider, the Intersecting Storage Rings. The ISR was used at CERN from 1971-84 to study proton-proton collisions at the highest energy then available (60GeV). When operational, ISR collision regions were surrounded by detectors as shown in the photo. In 1972, the surprising discovery of fragments flying out sideways from head-on proton-proton collisions was the first evidence of quark-quark scattering inside the colliding protons . This was similar to Rutherfords observation in 1911 of alpha particles scattering off the tiny nucleus inside atoms of gold. The ISR beamtubes had to be as empty as outer space, a vacuum 100 000 times better than other CERN machines at the time.
The 3.70 metre Big European Bubble Chamber (BEBC) was dismantled on 9 August 1984. One of the biggest detectors in the world, it produced direct visual recording of particle tracks. 6.3 million photos of interactions were taken with the chamber in the course of its existence.
The first ever circular particle accelerator, a cyclotron, was just a few centimetres in diameter. Invented in 1930 by Ernest Lawrence, it was the fore-runner of today's huge machines.
Cockcroft-Walton generator (or voltage doubler)(600kV) built by Philips and used in the Linac experimental area of the proton synclotron south hall (1964).Served as high voltage supply for the pre-injector of the 3Mev experimental Linac.
Antiproton target used for the AA (antiproton accumulator). Making an antiproton beam took a lot of time and effort. Firstly, protons were accelerated to an energy of 26 GeV in the PS and ejected onto a metal target. From the spray of emerging particles, a magnetic horn picked out 3.6 GeV antiprotons for injection into the AA through a wide-aperture focusing quadrupole magnet. For a million protons hitting the target, just one antiproton was captured, 'cooled' and accumulated. It took 3 days to make a beam of 3 x 10^11 - three hundred thousand million - antiprotons.
The 3.70 metre Big European Bubble Chamber (BEBC) was dismantled on 9 August 1984. One of the biggest detectors in the world, it produced direct visual recording of particle tracks. 6.3 million photos of interactions were taken with the chamber in the course of its existence.
Lens from the RCBC (rapid cycling bubble chamber). Quantity: 2 lenses