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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.

Researchers used cutting-edge synchrotron imaging to examine the inside of the fossil in detail.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

In this technique, intense synchrotron light strikes a material, boosting its electrons to higher energy and forcing them to escape the material's structure.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

Diamond Light Source is a synchrotron, which fires electrons around a giant ring at nearly the speed of light.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

Inside this huge machine, which is called a synchrotron, electrons are accelerated to almost the speed of light to produce a powerful X-ray beam that can probe the scroll without damaging it.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2025

Building the synchrotron and the hot lab and refurbishing the 184-inch would cost at least another $605,000.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.