GeV Acceleration In 3 Centimeters

ZonkerWilliam writes, "Here is a very interesting article, for the scientific community at least, on an advancement in laser wakefield particle accelerators. Being able to accelerate electrons to 1 Gev in the space of 3.3 cm calls up visions of portable devices that can be used anywhere: think of portable cancer therapies, if they can do the same for positrons, portable PET scans, possible use in compact fusion devices, capturing the dearly departed, etc. The uses are mind boggling." From the article: "By comparison, SLAC, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, boosts electrons to 50 GeV over a distance of two miles... The Berkeley Lab group and their Oxford collaborators... achieve a 50th of SLAC's beam energy in just one-100,000th of SLAC's length." I doubt that this tech will fit on a table top anytime soon. The article quotes the Berkeley researcher: "We believe we can [get to 10 GB] with an accelerator less than a meter long — although we'll probably need 30 meters' worth of laser path."

Comments

idiot editors

[1u3hr]

"We believe we can [get to 10 GB]...

GB = gigabyte
GeV = giga electron Volts

Also, TFA links to an illustrated version of the story.

Capturing the Dearly Departed

[A Brand of Fire]

When using a portable particle accelerator, always remember this important safety tip:

Egon: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.

Venkman: What?

Egon: Don't cross the streams.

Venkman: Why?

Egon: It would be bad.

Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing; what do you mean, bad?

Egon: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

Ray: Total protonic reversal.

Venkman: Right. That's bad? Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

Sadly, the responses to this confirm

[Flying pig]

That we do have a real crisis in physics education. (Here in the UK, having had to pay bonuses to attract maths teachers, the Government is now making similar efforts with physics - rather late.)

Reading the responses, there is frequently a lack of understanding of just how big this stuff is, just what it takes to produce things like wakefield accelerators and the difference between instantaneous power in watts and available energy.

Which reminds me of a true story. One company I worked for, the MD (aka CEO) decided we had to have a carbon dioxide laser to replace the ruby laser in one of our products. He talked to an academic researcher and asked how big the laser would need to be. The researcher said 10cm long and was promptly hired.

Six months later he had a prototype. The laser was a ceramic tube with fittings on a stand, genuinely about 150mm long with the fittings. Behind it was a room full of high voltage equipment, giant capacitors, carbon dioxide cylinders, extractor fans and, in fact, a water cooling system connected to a pressure main.

It took the MD a litle time to realise that this stuff was all part of making the laser go. He then asked when it would all be reduced in size to fit into a hand held box. The researcher's response? "You never told me you wanted the electrics to go in a box. You just said you wanted a four inch long laser."