How does an accelerator work?

In an accelerator charged particles move in electric and magnetic fields. Electric fields accelerate them. Magnetic fields bend and focus them into beams.

When an electron passes through a potential difference of 1 volt, the energy it acquires is called 1 eV. If the average energy of all particles in a gas was 1 eV, it will correspond to a temperature of 10 000 degrees Kelvin.

Televisions are small scale particle accelerators. But they use the same basic principles as a large accelerator like LEP at CERN.

• The source of electrons is a hot filament.
• Electrons are accelerated towards and through a positively charged electrode.
• Electromagnetic fields then sweep the beam across the screen and builds up a picture.