application
April 2013
-
April 2, 2013application: SemiconductorsAccelerator-powered ion implantation proves key to advances in integrated circuits.
March 2013
-
March 26, 2013application: How particle physics improves your lifeFrom MRIs to shrink wrap, particle physics technology improves the world we live in.
-
March 5, 2013application: Gamma cameras see through dense tissueGamma rays, valued by astrophysicists for conveying information about phenomena in space, are also becoming valued by doctors for their ability to uncover cancer.
October 2012
-
October 2, 2012application: BeehivesAbout 30 percent of bees in the United States die of disease, infection or other causes each year, a number beekeepers say will have a serious impact on agriculture. Could particle accelerators be the solution?
June 2012
-
June 1, 2012application: Accelerator beams for early cancer detectionEsophageal cancer is one of the eight most common cancers worldwide, with nearly half a million new cases each year. Of those diagnosed, only 5 to 10 percent survive for at least five years and, for reasons doctors don’t yet understand, this cancer is on the rise—especially in the West. Now scientists are developing a particle accelerator into a new tool for diagnosing pre-cancerous tissues in patients at risk.
May 2012
-
May 1, 2012application: Particle physics and your rideMetal products contain microscopic stresses that can grow into bigger problems. How engineers choose to manage these stresses makes all the difference.
April 2012
-
April 1, 2012application: Pursuing protons for medical imagingA new kind of detector technology that could lead to discoveries in particle physics may also lead to better 3D images of the human body and help cancer patients.
February 2012
-
February 1, 2012application: RadioisotopesToday, tens of millions of patients each year are diagnosed and treated with accelerator-based radioisotopes.
October 2011
-
October 1, 2011application: Ink curingNext time you pour yourself a bowl of Cheerios, thank the particle accelerator that brought you the bright yellow box. A growing number of printing companies are using innovative accelerator technology to print the cereal boxes that grace the breakfast table.
May 2011
-
May 1, 2011application: DiapersIn the United States, we buy more than 20 billion disposable diapers each year. That's a lot of baby bottoms to keep dry, and parents everywhere can thank particle accelerators for doing their part.
February 2011
-
February 1, 2011application: Food packagingTraditional methods for sterilizing empty packaging are simple and effective, but have environmental drawbacks. Low-energy electron beams from particle accelerators provide an environmentally friendly alternative.
October 2010
-
October 1, 2010application: HydrogelsFor many patients with serious burn wounds, the most dreaded visitor each day is the doctor or nurse who arrives to change the bandages. But accelerator-treated bandages can create healing environment.
August 2010
-
August 1, 2010application: Cargo scanningMore than two billion tons of cargo pass through ports and waterways annually in the United States. Many ports rely on gamma-ray scanners, based on radioactive isotopes such as cobalt-60, to screen cargo for nuclear materials or weapons. But an increasing number are turning to high-energy X-rays generated by particle accelerators to keep ports safe and prevent contraband from entering the country.
June 2010
-
June 1, 2010application: Sterilizing medical suppliesSterilizing equipment, a critical aspect of modern medical care, can be accomplished by bombarding the equipment and its packaging with a beam of electrons or X-rays derived from a particle accelerator.
April 2010
-
April 1, 2010application: Heat-shrink tubingHeat shrink owes its incredible capabilities to treatment with an electron beam from a particle accelerator.
February 2010
-
February 1, 2010application: MiningMiners sometimes add lead nitrate to prevent this and speed things along. But is there a way to fine-tune the process to get more metal out of the ore?
December 2009
-
December 1, 2009application: Furniture finishWho needs coasters when you have electron beams?
October 2009
-
October 31, 2009application: Shrink wrapIf you buy a Butterball turkey this Thanksgiving, you have particle accelerators to thank for its freshness. For decades now the food industry has used particle accelerators to produce the sturdy, heat-shrinkable film that Butterballs come wrapped in.
August 2009
-
August 1, 2009application: Heart valvesPhysicists at Alabama A&M University hope to improve the safety of artificial heart valves by forming them from a material bombarded with silver ions from a particle accelerator.
