cyclotron

noun

cy·​clo·​tron ˈsī-klə-ˌträn How to pronounce cyclotron (audio)
: an accelerator in which charged particles (such as protons, deuterons, or ions) are propelled by an alternating electric field in a constant magnetic field

Examples of cyclotron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And waves of protons, called ion cyclotron waves, snake around the sun's magnetic field, heating and accelerating the solar wind. Ian Graber-Stiehl, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2018 Feynman was a graduate student there at the time and threw himself into the debate with gusto, even devising an experiment in the cyclotron laboratory to test his hypothesis. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2024 As for scale, its circular tunnel spans almost 5½ miles across — about 84,000 times that of the ancestral cyclotron. Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2015 Whether Yuan himself or the prospect of access to a cyclotron had a greater influence on Wu's transfer decision remains open to debate! Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023 Ion cyclotron heating antennas: Also called radiofrequency heating antennas, these antennas bombard the plasma with 120-megahertz radio waves to heat it. IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2023 Lawrence, who had worked with Japanese scientists to build the first cyclotrons outside the U.S., was the last member of the committee to agree that using the bomb was the only choice, for the possibility of a dud demonstration was too great to risk. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023 Hartnett plays Ernest Lawrence, a nuclear physicist and the inventor of the cyclotron who becomes J. Robert Oppenheimer’s close friend at the University of California, Berkley. Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 July 2023 And in the 1930s came the first circular particle accelerator—a palm-size device invented by Ernest Lawrence called the cyclotron, which could accelerate protons to about 80 kilovolts. Chandrashekhar Joshi, Scientific American, 1 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cyclotron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

cycl- + -tron; from the circular movement of the particles

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cyclotron was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near cyclotron

Cite this Entry

“Cyclotron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyclotron. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cyclotron

noun
cy·​clo·​tron ˈsī-klə-ˌträn How to pronounce cyclotron (audio)
: a device in which charged particles are propelled to high speeds by an alternating electric field in a constant magnetic field

Medical Definition

cyclotron

noun
cy·​clo·​tron ˈsī-klə-ˌträn How to pronounce cyclotron (audio)
: an accelerator in which charged particles (as protons, deuterons, or ions) are propelled by an alternating electric field in a constant magnetic field

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