... particles are accelerated in a straight line, whereas in a circular accelerator magnetic fields are used to move the particles in a circular trajectory. The diagram below shows the principle of operation of a LINAC. An alternating p.d. is connected across adjacent cylindrical electrode tubes. Charged particles are accelerated across the gaps between electrodes. By the time the particle reaches the next gap the polarity of electric field has reversed and so the particle is accelerated once more. LINACs have an important advantage over circular accelerators. When a charged particle is moved in a circular path it radiates energy (synchrotron radiation) so that a lot of the input energy is wasted. There is no such waste in a linear accelerator. However, the length of a LINAC limits the energy achieved. The length limitation can be overcome by making the charged particles follow a circular path. In a cyclotron charged particles are ...

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