A machine that accelerates charged particles in a spiral path using magnetic and electric fields, used in nuclear physics research and to create radioactive isotopes.
From Greek 'kyklos' (circle) and the suffix '-tron' (device). Invented by physicist Ernest Lawrence in 1930, the name describes how particles spiral in circular paths as they gain energy.
The cyclotron was a genius invention that launched the nuclear age—Lawrence won the Nobel Prize for it! Modern hospitals use cyclotron-produced isotopes for PET scans that can detect cancer, showing how this physics discovery literally saves lives today.
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