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Q.Explain the working of cyclotron in detail. OR

(i) What are Polariser and Analyser ?
(ii) List the uses of Polaroids.
Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2026Subjective· 5mImportance★★★★★
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(a) The cyclotron accelerates a charged particle repeatedly using a resonant magnetic + oscillating electric field combination, extracting it at maximum energy KEmax=q2B2R2/(2m)KE_{max}=q^2B^2R^2/(2m); (b) a polariser produces plane-polarised light and an analyser detects/tests it, with Polaroids used widely in sunglasses, 3D glasses, and LCDs. Both alternatives answered below.

(a) Working of the cyclotron

1. Construction. Two D-shaped hollow electrodes (dees), separated by a small gap, inside an evacuated chamber between the poles of a strong electromagnet producing field BB perpendicular to the dees; an oscillating high-frequency voltage is applied across the gap.

2. Principle. A charged ion released near the centre is accelerated across the gap into a dee, where the magnetic force bends it into a semicircular path of radius r=mv/(qB)r=mv/(qB), with no electric field inside the (hollow, conducting) dee.

3. Resonance condition. The time for a semicircular traversal, T/2=πm/(qB)T/2=\pi m/(qB), is independent of the ion's speed (since r∝vr\propto v). So a fixed oscillator frequency

f=qB2πmf = \dfrac{qB}{2\pi m}

can keep the electric field reversing exactly in step with the ion's arrival at the gap each time, always accelerating it.

4. Spiral path and extraction. Each gap-crossing increases the ion's speed (and hence orbit radius), so it spirals outward; when it reaches the maximum radius RR (the dees' edge), it is extracted with maximum kinetic energy

KEmax=q2B2R22mKE_{max} = \dfrac{q^2B^2R^2}{2m}

5. Limitation. At relativistic speeds, the ion's effective mass increases, breaking the resonance condition and capping the achievable energy.

(b) Polariser, Analyser, and uses of Polaroids

Polariser. The first polaroid (or other polarising device) placed in the path of unpolarised light; it transmits only the component of the light vibrating along its transmission axis, converting unpolarised light into plane-polarised light.

Analyser. A second polaroid placed after the polariser, used to test/detect the polarisation state (and measure the orientation) of the light coming from the polariser. As the analyser is rotated relative to the polariser, the transmitted intensity varies as I=I0cos⁡2θI=I_0\cos^2\theta (Malus' law) -- maximum when their axes are parallel, zero when crossed (90°90°) -- which is how the analyser "analyses" the incoming polarised light.

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