Accelerating success: Imperial teams up with the Cockcroft Institute

Accelerating success: Imperial teams up with the Cockcroft Institute. New research partnership to focus on next generation of particle accelerators %0A " - By Danielle Reeves - 6 April 2009 Developing the next generation of high energy, efficient, innovative and high quality particle accelerators is the aim of a new research collaboration between Imperial College London and the Cockcroft Institute of Accelerator Science and Technology in Cheshire, UK, announced today. Particle accelerators propel electrically charged particles close to the speed of light, creating packets of energy and information delivered in custom-designed pulsed patterns of high energy particles, x-rays and light. These beams are used in fundamental physics experiments that seek to answer big questions about the nature of the universe and in innovative applications in materials, healthcare and energy sciences. They are also used to produce X-rays for imaging the structure of biological molecules and probing ultra-fast processes in matter. One potential application for accelerators is driving a new kind of radiation-safe nuclear fission reactor, to produce electrical power Accelerators have revolutionised treatments for cancer through cutting-edge particle beam therapy, and could be used to drive a new kind of reliable, radiation-safe and controllable nuclear fission reactor for the production of electrical power, free from environmental concerns. The new partnership will bring researchers together from Imperial and the Cockcroft Institute to tackle challenges that impact on the performance and future development of accelerators across all applications.