linear accelerator

See synonyms for linear accelerator on Thesaurus.com
nounPhysics.
  1. an accelerator in which particles are propelled in straight paths by the use of alternating electric voltages that are timed in such a way that the particles receive increasing increments of energy.

Origin of linear accelerator

1
First recorded in 1930–35

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How to use linear accelerator in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for linear accelerator

linear accelerator

noun
  1. an accelerator in which charged particles are accelerated along a linear path by potential differences applied to a number of electrodes along their path: Sometimes shortened to: linac

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for linear accelerator

linear accelerator

  1. A type of particle accelerator that accelerates charged subatomic particles, such as protons and electrons, in a straight line by means of alternating negative and positive impulses from electric fields. Linear accelerators were largely supplanted by cyclotrons and other architectures that require less path length to achieve the same or higher particle velocities. See Note at particle accelerator.

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