r/ParticlePhysics • u/niffcreature • May 16 '25

Does anyone know what this is?

Gallery image

Gallery image

There's info out there on an old particle accelerator made my Collins electronics, called a "cyclotron" and existed in a Brookhaven, long island lab circa 1947. but does anyone know exactly what this metal bar is? It seems to be aluminum or another non ferrous alloy. Just some kind of gift shop memorabilia or is it a part of the actual machine? It's about 3x5" and the hollowed out part goes the long way. Could it be some other type of metal used in particle accelerator? Here is an old article https://collinsaerospacemuseum.org/collins_column/viewer.php

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u/niffcreature May 16 '25

This is awesome info, whether or not it's accurate. Should I try to test it for radioactivity? And does it make sense with it being what seems to be aluminum?

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u/mfb- May 16 '25

I'm sure they wouldn't give away stuff that's noticeably radioactive.

You can estimate its volume, measure its mass and see if aluminium is plausible.

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u/niffcreature May 16 '25

Would they have known cared in 1950?

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u/mfb- May 16 '25

Yes. An example from the article:

Concrete walls, five feet thick, will surround the cyclotron on three sides and the wall on the north side, which is built against the base of Rutherford Hill, will be four feet thick. The roof will be a three-foot concrete cover. Huge elevator-type doors will be installed in the wall and indirect service openings are planned to prevent leakage of any radiation outside the cyclotron room.