To learn the basic physics and applications of cyclotrons.
Particle accelerators are used to create well-controlled beams of high-energy particles. Such beams have
many uses, both in research and industry.
One common type of accelerator is the cyclotron, as shown in the figure. (Figure 1) In a cyclotron, a
magnetic field confines charged particles to circular paths while an oscillating electric field accelerates
them. It is useful to understand the details of this process.
Consider a cyclotron in which a beam of particles of positive charge q and mass m is moving along a
circular path restricted by the magnetic field B⃗ (which is perpendicular to the velocity of the particles).