Particle accelerator will be used in medicine
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The Large Hadron Collider serves to study particles and study the mechanisms of their action, but a number of specialists believe that such a device can be used in medicine or industry, but huge dimensions do not allow this to be done (the length of the main ring is more than 26 thousand meters). But in the world this is not the only particle accelerator, in total more than a dozen trial designs have been created.
CERN specialists, using the experience of creating similar devices, have already started to make a test sample of a small particle accelerator, which will be about 2 m in length and can be easily used in medicine or in industry (due to the small length, such a device can be built into equipment).
As a basis for mini-Linac (as the experts called their development), the design of the larger Linac4 accelerator was taken, which is planned to be launched only after 5 years. Linac4 is part of a large complex and is needed to accelerate hydrogen particles to high energies.
Mini-Linac is assembled according to the scheme, which is often used to create this kind of devices. Specialists used the scheme of a radio-frequency radio network (an important part of any particle accelerator producing high-power beams). In the new accelerator model, developers decided to double the operating frequency, which reduced the size. A new approach to the use of ray dynamics, radio frequency, etc. Was also used.
The industrial particle accelerator consists of small (50 cm) modules that are already fully assembled. As experts noted, the frequency of the new device is 750 MHz, it will produce rays of protons and ions with relatively low speed and intensity, the energy of the beams will be approximately 5 MeV.
The developers believe that such a device is suitable for working with more powerful particle accelerators, as well as for the therapy of cancer tumors with the help of proton rays or as a source of alpha particles (today specialists have developed new methods of radiotherapy using such particles).
Another Mini-Linac can be used to produce radioisotopes that are needed in industry and medicine, while having such a device, it will not be necessary to spend additional funds for transportation, security and other activities necessary in this case.
An important advantage of the new accelerator is its small size, since it can be easily used in the field, as an option, such a device can be used in archaeological excavations and conduct a study of all the finds right on the spot.
Now CERN specialists are building the basis of a linear accelerator of four modules.
Completely complete the work on the assembly is planned in early 2016.
Particle accelerators have an ambiguous attitude, some believe that such devices will cause "the end of the world", others, on the contrary, support scientists. The main purpose of the hadron collider is to open a mechanism that empowers particles with mass, and this, in turn, will serve as a basis for the development of new technologies.
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