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Thursday, 31 October 2013
On This Day in Science History - November 1 - Betatron
November 1st is Donald Kerst's birthday. Kerst was an American physicist who invented the betatron. The betatron is a type of cyclotron that takes electrons from a transformer and accelerates them within a vacuum tube using a large, alternating magnetic field. The name betatron is a reference to the beta particle which is a fast moving electron given off by beta decay radiation. The betatron's electrons can build up enough energy to cause nuclear transformations or strike a metal target to create x-rays and gamma rays. Betatrons are found in many applications of particle physics, radiation medicine and industry.
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