betatron

[bey-tuh-tron or, esp. British, bee-]

noun Physics.

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

Origin of betatron

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for betatron

betatron

noun

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

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

betatron in Medicine

betatron

[bā′tə-trŏn′, bē′-]

n.

A magnetic induction device capable of accelerating electrons to energies of several hundred million electron volts.

betatron in Science

betatron

[bā′tə-trŏn′]

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. See also particle accelerator.