betatron

[ bey-tuh-tronor, especially British, bee- ]

noun

, Physics.

1. an accelerator in which electrons are accelerated to high energies by an electric field produced by a changing magnetic field.

betatron

/ ˈbiːtəˌtrɒn /

noun

1. a type of particle accelerator for producing high-energy beams of electrons, having an alternating magnetic field to keep the electrons in a circular orbit of fixed radius and accelerate them by magnetic induction. It produces energies of up to about 300 MeV

betatron

/ bā′tə-trŏn′ /

1. A type of particle accelerator that uses changing magnetic fields to accelerate electrons. Energies of several hundred million electron volts can be achieved in a betatron.
2. See also particle accelerator

Word History and Origins

Origin of betatron¹

1940–45; beta ( beta particle ) + -tron