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MJF
@pi3832.bsky.social

They used to crawl down into early cyclotrons *while they were running* to make adjustments. Grad students talked about “seeing ghosts” inside. Turns out, the magnetic fields were inducing currents in their optic nerves. … “The good ol' days” is an example of survivor bias.

Kirsty aka ScrapHeapChallenge
@gaydemonicdisaster.bsky.social

Now I’m wondering where the ghostbusters proton pack cyclotron appears on the chart. (Random fact, the prop was modelled from an actual cyclotron found in the nose cone of an old WWII aircraft, I saw one at an air museum a few years ago & it blew my mind slightly that it was actually a real thing).

Bill R aka N1VUX
@bill-n1vux.bsky.social

I'm guessing the ww2 nose cone unit was a resonant-cavity magnetron for RADAR. Not so very different from an electron cyclotron. US-made had typically 6 cavities (might be found on UK birds), UK-made 8, for accidental reasons. The GB prop has 4 circular cyclic ?resonators?, same layout,

Bill R aka N1VUX
@bill-n1vux.bsky.social

4 was likely better for visual recognition of for-the-day hi-tech prop. (And deferred aha! faux physics function until it was powered up: is it a square or a ring of small circles in the circular 'module'.

Bill R aka N1VUX
@bill-n1vux.bsky.social

You got it. 💯 DAYTONA SPEEDWAY is a circulatory accelerator for very large fiberglass&c particles, which are stored in the ring, continously adding energy to maintain constant speed and curving path; until they very rarely collide. Just like the (sub)atomic particle cyclotron accelerators.