undulator

American  

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

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• undulators
  plural

Example Sentences

This ultrahigh-frequency undulator means electrons can be made to wiggle and emit x-rays at much lower energies.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 22, 2023

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

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

The teeth are about an inch apart along the undulator, and this seems coarse for an apparatus that yields such tiny waves.

From Time Magazine Archive