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synchrotron

American  
[sing-kruh-tron] / ˈsɪŋ krəˌtrɒn /

noun

Physics.

  1. a type of cyclotron consisting of magnetic sections alternately spaced with sections in which particles are electrostatically accelerated.

synchrotron British  
/ ˈsɪŋkrəˌtrɒn /

noun

  1. a type of particle accelerator similar to a betatron but having an electric field of fixed frequency with electrons but not with protons as well as a changing magnetic field. It is capable of producing very high energies in the GeV range

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
synchrotron Scientific  
/ sĭng′krə-trŏn′ /

  1. A type of particle accelerator that accelerates charged subatomic particles (generally protons) in a circular path. Unlike cyclotrons and synchrocyclotrons, in which particles follow a spiral path, synchrotrons consist of a single ring-shaped tube through which the particles loop numerous times, guided by precisely synchronized magnetic fields and accelerated at various points in the loop by electric field bursts. Synchrotrons are currently the most powerful particle accelerators, and the study of high-energy collisions driven by synchrotrons has lead to the discovery of many subatomic particles.

  2. See also cyclotron synchrocyclotron See Note at particle accelerator

Etymology

Origin of synchrotron

First recorded in 1945–50; synchro- + -tron

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Synchrotron imaging, a modern technique that uses beams of light brighter than the sun, was used to scan the fossil, revealing new details within the rock.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

In order to overcome these difficulties, the research team used state-of-the-art technology: the Synchrotron particle accelerator in Grenoble.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

During obtained extremely high-resolution x-ray images of the fossils at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 6, 2022

For the new study, published on September 15 in the journal Science, they analyzed the samples at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

From Scientific American • Sep. 15, 2022

Synchrotron radiation produced by accelerators is sometimes used as a source of intense energetic electromagnetic radiation for research purposes.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.