(click for larger image in new window) n. A circular particle accelerator in which charged subatomic particles generated at a central source are accelerated spirally outward in a plane perpendicular to a fixed magnetic field by an alternating electric field. A cyclotron is capable of generating particle energies between a few million and several tens of millions of electron volts.
Main Entry: cy·clo·tron Pronunciation: 'sI-kl&-"trän Function: noun : an accelerator in which charged particles (as protons,deuterons, or ions) are propelled by an alternating electric field in a constant magnetic field