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Researchers Demonstrate Accelerator-on-a-Chip

Scientists from the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have created an advanced accelerator-on-a-chip technology that is smaller than a grain of rice. The glass chip can accelerate electrons at 300 million volts per meter, 10 times greater than conventional technology. The researchers’ goal is reaching speeds of 1 billion volts per meter. Over a distance of 100 feet, the technology can achieve acceleration comparable to that of the two-mile-long SLAC linear accelerator. Particle acceleration is primarily a tool used by physics researchers, but the new accelerator-on-a-chip – which is faster, smaller, and potentially a more affordable technology -- could be used in a wide variety of applications. This might include small, portable X-ray sources that could be used in field hospital settings by the military as well as for affordable medical imaging in hospitals and laboratories. The technology could also be used in for other types of scanning and imaging, such as in security applications. They say they must overcome some challenges before their technology is practical for routine use. They published their research in Nature. (SlashDot)(EurekAlert)(SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)(Nature)

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