Wednesday 18 July 2018
Speaker:  Rob Edgecock (STFC)
Title:  "How can particle accelerators help to save the planet?"


At RAL, when we discuss particle accelerators, the focus tends to be on the large machines at either end of the site, 
Diamond and ISIS, or the even larger accelerators at other sites such as CERN, Fermilab and JPARC. However, there are 
more than 40000 accelerators in regular use around the world, all of which are much smaller than these. They are used 
for a wide range of applications that are already having an impact on everyday life, from making car tyres, through 
the manufacture of electronics, stronger wires and cables and jewellery, to cancer treatment.
 
In this seminar, I will describe briefly the types of accelerator used, summarise a range of the existing applications 
and describe some new applications being studied in rather surprising areas that may help to answer this question.