Particle accelerator for inducing contained particle collisions

Details Particle accelerator for inducing contained particle collisions Particle accelerator for inducing contained particle collisions

1999-12-09

2002-08-27

Anderson, Bruce (Department: 2881)

Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems

High energy particle accelerator tube

Magnetic field acceleration means

C315S111010, C315S111610, C313S359100, C313S362100, C313S062000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06441569

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to particle accelerators and, ore particularly, to particle accelerators for producing collisions between particles contained within a predetermined system.
2. Related Prior Art
The present invention is related to the field of machines known as article accelerators and which include cyclotrons, microtrons, linear accelerators and inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) machines. Following is a brief summary of the general characteristics of each of these prior art machines:
(a) Cyclotrons—a cyclotron
1
(see
FIG. 1
) is comprised of two semicircular hollow boxes, called “dees”
2
,
4
which are formed of an electrically conductive material, such as copper, and which are arranged with the flat, open sides of the dees
2
,
4
separated and facing each other. The dees
2
,
4
are located in an evacuated chamber having a very high vacuum, and are located between the poles of a strong magnet, which generates an essentially uniform magnetic field passing through the flat faces, i.e. the top and bottom, of the dees
2
,
4
and through the entire volume of the dees
2
,
4
. An alternating voltage is applied between the dees
2
,
4
. Ions or other charged particles, are introduced to the cyclotron at a central location between the dees
2
,
4
. The charged particle introduction or generation is controlled such that essentially all particles are accelerated to the maximum cumulative energy achievable by the particular cyclotron, and essentially all charged particles introduced or generated leave the acceleration chamber as part of the product beam. The paths of the charged particles within each dee
2
,
4
are semicircles centered at the center of the acceleration chamber wherein each time a particular particle crosses between the dees
2
,
4
, it is accelerated to a higher energy, and the radius of its path is thereby increased to correspond to the higher energy, such that the paths of the particles within the cyclotron approximate a spiral. The dee to dee accelerating voltage is selected to be such that the increase in path radius resulting from each acceleration is great enough to provide spacing between the paths of particles which have undergone different numbers of accelerations, and thereby to prevent collisions of particles of one energy with those of greater or lesser energies.
(b) Microtrons—microtrons are machines which accelerate electrons in a vacuum chamber from which the accelerated electrons are extracted as a beam for use with an external target. The acceleration chamber of the basic circular microtron is in a magnetic field (similar to that of a cyclotron) which causes the electrons to move in circular paths. An electron generator and a radio frequency (i.e., microwave frequency) resonant cavity are located at a point near the wall of the circular acceleration chamber. Electrons from the generator are injected into the resonant cavity and accelerated by radio frequency energy. They leave the cavity and travel in a circular path wherein the magnetic field strength and microwave frequency are selected such that the length of the electrons circular path is an integral number of wavelengths at the selected frequency, such that the electron re-enters the resonant cavity in phase with the cavity frequency, and it is then again accelerated as it passes through the cavity. The next orbit of the electron is again circular, but has a greater radius than the first path, and has a total length which is a new and greater multiple of wavelengths. This sequence continues with the electron passing through the resonant cavity and being accelerated once each orbit, until the radius of the orbit is close to that of the acceleration chamber, at which time the electron is extracted from the chamber as part of a beam, and is directed to a target outside of the acceleration chamber. As with the cyclotron, microtrons operate with a high vacuum acceleration chamber and are provided with a single fixed location of charged particle generation.
(c) Linear Accelerators—linear particle accelerators use electric fields to accelerate charged particles in a straight line in a vacuum. The particles are generated at a fixed location at one end of an accelerator chamber and are accelerated in a beam into a target at the other end. Electrical and/or magnetic fields are used to prevent the charged particle beam from spreading out, which would normally occur due to electrical repulsion of the particles away from each other. Single or multiple acceleration stages may be used, and most machines employ multiple stages with accelerating voltages between stages. Further, most machines require very high voltages for acceleration.
(d) Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Machines—IEC machines have been developed in two geometries, spherical and cylindrical. Both types have been used for neutron generation using deuterium—deuterium (D—D) and/or deuterium-tritium (D-T) reactions. The operating concept for the spherical type of the IEC machine includes providing a hollow electrically conductive outer spherical chamber, and a smaller spherical hollow grid formed of a conductive material which is centered within the spherical chamber. The chamber contains deuterium or a deuterium-tritium mix at a pressure somewhat less than about 2 mm Hg. A high DC voltage is applied between the outer chamber and the grid, with the grid being negatively charged. The voltage is high enough to cause breakdown of the gas within the chamber, creating ions and/or plasma. IEC machines typically use voltages ranging from 16,000 to about 40,000 volts, with higher voltages being desirable. The positive deuterium and/or tritium ions are accelerated radially inwardly toward the negatively charged grid, where they reach maximum energy, pass through holes in the grid, and travel across the space inside the grid at constant speed, after which they pass out of the grid through holes in the opposite side. At this point, the positively charged ion is traveling toward the positively charged outer sphere, which repels it. The ion is slowed to zero radial velocity and is then re-accelerated toward the negatively charged grid. The cycle repeats indefinitely until the ion impacts another ion, a non-ionized gas atom, or a solid part of the grid sphere. Neutrons are generated from ion—ion and ion-gas collisions. The ion energies and electrical fields are such that ions cannot reach the outer sphere, so that the surface of this sphere cannot be used as a target.
The cylindrical IEC machine is similar to the spherical IEC machine in principle and consists of a conductive tube and two slightly concave conductive reflectors, one at each end of the tube and separated from the tube by a predetermined distance. The operative elements of the machine are enclosed in a chamber which contains deuterium or a mixture of deuterium and tritium at a pressure similar to that used in the spherical IEC machine. High voltage sufficient to cause gas breakdown is applied between the tube and the reflectors, with the tube negative and each reflector positive, to cause the gas to break down and produce ions in the regions between the tube and the reflectors. The ions are initially accelerated toward the negatively charged tube, pass through it, and are slowed and then reversed and re-accelerated back toward the tube by the reflector. The ions continue to travel back and forth through the tube until they collide with another ion or neutral gas atom. Both IEC machines accelerate ions by single stage electrostatic means, which requires very high voltage. For example, to accelerate a deuteron to a maximum energy of 22 Kev, 22,000 volts must be applied between the outer sphere and the grid in the spherical IEC machine, or between the tube and reflectors in a cylindrical IEC machine.
While the above described machines provide effective means for accelerating particles to perform their desired functions, there exists a continuing need for a particle accelerator machine which is ca

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