This is the electromagnet for the world's first major cyclotron. With it, professor Ernest O. Lawrence and others perfected the difficult cyclotron technology. Originally a 27-inch cyclotron, it was converted to a 37-inch instrument in 1937. Weighing 85 tons, this cyclotron was a leviathan of science in its time. It lead the world in atomic particle energies from 1932 until 1939, opening new frontiers in nuclear research.
Discoveries with this cyclotron were numerous, including radioisotopes, such as iodine-131, as well as the first man-made element, technetium. Modified, the magnet first showed in 1941-42 that uranium-235 could be separated magnetically on a large scale.
In 1945, it became the pioneer synchrocyclotron, confirming for the first time the theory of phase stability: the principle governing the operation of the great accelerators built since. This cyclotron stands as a major stepping-stone in the history of science.
May 20, 1968
Comments 0 comments