Examples of such processes include drug interactions with cells, changes inside batteries that might cause them to catch fire, chemical reactions inside solar panels, and viral proteins changing shape when infecting cells. This kind of accelerator could also be used to drive another device called an X-ray free electron laser, which could take slow-motion movies of processes on the atomic or molecular scale. They hope to use it to test how well space-bound electronics can withstand radiation, to image the 3D internal structures of new semiconductor chip designs, and even to develop novel cancer therapies and advanced medical-imaging techniques. Hegelich and his team are currently exploring the use of their accelerator, called an advanced wakefield laser accelerator, for a variety of purposes. He is the senior author on a recent paper describing their achievement in the journal Matter and Radiation at Extremes. “We can now reach those energies in 10 centimeters,” said Bjorn “Manuel” Hegelich, associate professor of physics at UT and CEO of TAU Systems, referring to the size of the chamber where the beam was produced. that can reach such high electron energies, but both are approximately 3 kilometers long. There are only two other accelerators currently operating in the U.S. have demonstrated a compact particle accelerator less than 20 meters long that produces an electron beam with an energy of 10 billion electron volts (10 GeV). Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, several national laboratories, European universities and the Texas-based company TAU Systems Inc. But conventional accelerators require plenty of elbow room - kilometers - making them expensive and limiting their presence to a handful of national labs and universities. AUSTIN, Texas - Particle accelerators hold great potential for semiconductor applications, medical imaging and therapy, and research in materials, energy and medicine.
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