VI(M) PARTICLE ACCELERATOR PRACTICE QUESTIONS

GOPAL HAZARIKA

11/05/2020

Q1. What is corona discharge?

Ans. In a Van-de-Graaf generator, near the lower pulley P1 there is a metallic comb C1 connected to
a source of steady voltage of 50 to 100kV.Positive charge is continuously sprayed over the
lower end of the moving belt by the comb C1 from a few hundred sharp pointed metal wires
called corona points. When the concentration of charge at the pointed ends is very high,
ionization that is produced, become so intense that it produces further ionization by collision.
When this occurs, a glow appears in the region and discharge of the pointed end take place.

Q2. Show that radius of curvature of the path of a charged particle inside the dees of a cyclotron is
proportional to N1/2where N is number of times the particle has been accelerated across the space
between the dees.

Ans. If the average value of the R.F. potential applied to dees is V and N the number of accelerations
the ion receives, the final energy attained is given by,
1 2
E = NqV = mvmax → (1)
2
The final energy attained by the ion may also be calculated in terms of the magnetic field B and the

radius R of the orbit of the ion just before emergence from in between the dees is
1 1 2
𝑚𝑣𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑚𝑣𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑣𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑞𝐵
2
E = 2 𝑣𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2 m(Rω𝑐 )2 , [ 𝑅
= 𝑞𝐵𝑣𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑜𝑟 𝑅
= 𝑞𝐵 &𝜔𝑐 = 𝑅
= 𝑚
]

𝑅 2 𝐵2 𝑞 2
𝐸= → (2)
2
1
(2𝑚𝐸)2
∴𝑅= → (3)
𝑞𝐵
We know energy gain per acceleration is “qB”, where V is the R.F. potential applied across the dees.
Hence if N is no. of acceleration received by the particles in acquiring a final energy E then

𝑅 2 𝐵2 𝑞 2
= 𝑁𝑞𝑉
2𝑚
1 2𝑚𝑉 1 1
∴ 𝑅 = 𝐵( 𝑞
)2 𝑁2 → (4)
The expression shows that the radii of the successive orbits increase with a sequence of square roots
1
of natural numbers (𝑁 2 ).