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Feb. 20, 1934: A Huge Step Toward Atomic Energy

(Download Image) Photo credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis. Dr. Ernest O. Lawrence, (below left), and his assistant, Donald Cooksey, prepare a cyclotron for its final testing, in the radiation laboratory at the University of California

Editor's note: This feature is brought to you by the Laboratory's Archives and Research Center.

Physicist Ernest O. Lawrence, co-founder of the Laboratory, patented his cyclotron Feb. 20, 1934. The invention and the science it made possible earned Lawrence the 1939 Nobel Prize for physics. A particle accelerator, the cyclotron is an instrument that moves charged protons between electrodes until they become highly charged particles. After receiving the patent, the first device was built by the Research Corporation. His first model was built with such home hardware as wires, nuts and bolts, brass and sealing wax. By applying 2,000 volts of electricity, Lawrence managed to generate 80,000-volt protons whirring in his cyclotron. He is the namesake for both Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore national labs.

 

Feb. 22, 2008