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Q.Give the principle of cyclotron and draw the neat labelled schematic diagram of cyclotron.

Karnataka PUCKarnataka II PUC Board 2020Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Cyclotron: magnetic field makes the particle move in semicircles inside two dees; an alternating voltage (tuned to the cyclotron frequency f=qB2πmf=\dfrac{qB}{2\pi m}) accelerates it each time it crosses the gap, so it spirals outward gaining energy.

Labelled schematic of a cyclotron showing the two dees, oscillating source, magnetic field and the spiral path of the accelerated charged particle.
Labelled schematic of a cyclotron showing the two dees, oscillating source, magnetic field and the spiral path of the accelerated charged particle.

Principle. A positive ion released near the centre is accelerated across the gap between two hollow D-shaped electrodes (dees) by an alternating electric field. Inside each dee (a field-free region) a uniform magnetic field B⃗\vec B, perpendicular to the plane of the dees, bends the ion into a semicircular path. The time for a semicircle, T/2=πmqBT/2 = \dfrac{\pi m}{qB}, is independent of the ion's speed and radius, so the alternating voltage — set to the cyclotron frequency

f=qB2πmf = \frac{qB}{2\pi m}

— reverses exactly in step and accelerates the ion every time it crosses the gap. The ion thus gains energy repeatedly, moving in ever-larger semicircles (a spiral), and finally emerges at high energy.

Labelled schematic (description).

  • Two semicircular hollow dees (D1D_1 and D2D_2) with a small gap between their straight edges.
  • A high-frequency AC source connected across the two dees. …

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