undulator

American  

[uhn-juh-layt-er, uhn-dyuh-] / ˈʌn dʒəˌleɪt ər, ˈʌn dyə- /

noun

undulators plural

1. Physics. an arrangement of magnets of alternating polarity inserted into the path of an electron beam, so that the alternating magnetic field causes the beam to oscillate or undulate, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation. Undulators are usually part of a synchrotron storage ring and are used to generate brilliant light.

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Example Sentences

But where the polarity of undulator fields alternates over a few centimeters, the laser’s field seesaws along with the wavelength of the light—just 1 micrometer.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 22, 2023

But Wang and colleagues demonstrated amplification, showing the light’s intensity increases 100-fold in the third undulator, they report this week in Nature.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 25, 2021

Within an undulator, small magnets above and below the beam pipe lined up like teeth, with the north poles of neighboring magnets alternating up and down.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 25, 2021

Once he hitched his undulator to a large linear accelerator that sent out electrons at 100 million electron volts.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the undulator is "shrunk" by one of the strange effects connected with Einstein's relativity.

From Time Magazine Archive