Channeled particles in bent crystals.The spaces, or channels, between the planes of atoms in a silicon crystal provide a unique passageway for speeding subatomic particles. By slightly bending the crystal, researchers can even change the direction of high-energy beams. Members of the E761 collaboration at Fermilab have now confirmed that a silicon crystal 45 millimeters long and bent through just a tenth of a degree can cause a charged particle charged particle n. An elementary particle, such as a proton or electron, with a positive or negative electric charge. with spin, such as a proton proton, elementary particle having a single positive electrical charge and constituting the nucleus of the ordinary hydrogen atom. The positive charge of the nucleus of any atom is due to its protons. , to precess pre·cess intr.v. pre·cessed, pre·cess·ing, pre·cess·es To move in or be subjected to precession. [Back-formation from precession.] Verb 1. , or rotate - just as gravity causes the axis of a spinning top to precess. This effect, reported in the Dec. 7 Physical Review Letters Physical Review Letters is one of the most prestigious journals in physics.[1] Since 1958, it has been published by the American Physical Society as an outgrowth of The Physical Review. , enables researchers to measure a charged particle's magnetic properties much faster than they can with conventional techniques. |
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