The Cyclotron. I

Abstract

The cyclotron is in process of a metamorphosis from an academic luxury for nuclear physicists to an indispensable tool for applied science and industry. Tracer experiments with induced radioactivities have become invaluable for basic studies in other sciences and as a guide to engineering development in many industries. The radioactivities and neutron radiations themselves are being put to use in industry and in medicine on an ever increasing scale. The time is near when the use of the cyclotron as a production unit may even outweigh its further scientific usefulness. Cyclotron physicists, well aware of this trend, are eager to push the development of the instrument to engineering perfection. To further this effort, this paper evaluates available information which may aid in improving the efficiency, reliability, and output and in determining most economical sizes and designs of cyclotrons for large scale applications.