Particle Accelerators and Track Detectors

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to particle accelerators and detectors, as discussed in the lecture.

Particle Accelerator

A device that uses electromagnetic forces to propel charged particles to high speeds.

Electromagnetic Forces

Forces that arise from the interaction of charged particles.

DC Accelerator

An accelerator that uses direct current to accelerate particles.

Van de Graaff Accelerator

An electrostatic particle accelerator that produces high voltages.

Alternating Current (AC) Accelerator

An accelerator that uses alternating current to propel charged particles.

Drift Tubes

Metal pipes in linear accelerators through which particles are accelerated.

Klystron

A type of vacuum tube used to amplify high frequency signals, supplying microwave pulses.

Calorimeter

A component of particle detectors that measures the energy of incoming particles.

Cloud Chamber

A type of particle detector that allows visualization of particle paths via condensed vapor.

Bubble Chamber

A detector filled with liquid that produces bubbles along the path of ionizing radiation.

Cyclic Accelerator

An accelerator that directs particles in a circular path for acceleration.

Synchrotron

A cyclic accelerator that accelerates particles in a closed orbit.

Collider

A type of accelerator that collides particles at high energies.

Fixed Target Machines

Devices where a beam of particles is directed to collide with a stationary target.

Primary Fragments

Nuclei that are produced as a result of nuclear fission.

Binding Energy

The energy required to disassemble a nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons.

Nuclear Fusion

The process of combining two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus.

Fissile Material

Material capable of sustaining a chain reaction of nuclear fission.

Decay Chain

A series of radioactive decay processes whereby a parent isotope decays into a daughter isotope.

Lepton Number Conservation

A principle stating that the total lepton number remains constant in particle interactions.

Quark,

Elementary particles that combine to form protons and neutrons, having a charge of +2/3 or -1/3.