Re: I was wondering is it possible to build a homemade particle accelerator

Taylor,

It is indeed possible to build a homemade particle accelerator. The only question is "how big?" It might seem hard to believe, but if you watch your television, you are looking down the barrel of an electron particle accelerator. The CRT tube making up your television accelerates electrons to about 25keV. At that low an energy, subatomic interactions are not very likely. However, it is not all that difficult to construct a working particle accelerator capable of transmutation of the elements, creation of dangerous X-rays, and generation of artificial radioactive isotopes.

I personally built three particle accelerators for science fair projects in high school. My first machine was an electrostatic proton/alpha accelerator, capable of 100keV final energy. The accelerator was an excellent learning tool, teaching me both high vacuum techniques and extremely high voltage techniques. My machine created X-rays and even a few artificially radioactive substances. All in all, the machine cost less than $200, after extensive borrowing and begging for equipment. A similar machine is described in C. L. Strong's 1960 book "The Amateur Scientist." That machine used a Van de Graaff generator for high voltage. My machine used a Cockroft-Walton high voltage multiplier.

My second and third machines were both cyclotrons. They required extensive research and expertise in a number of fields, from metallurgy and welding to RF electronics design. The total cost was under $800-1000, and took over a year to construct the first version. There are no books that tell you how to build a cyclotron in your garage, but there are several books that tell you general guidelines in designing such a machine. I suggest going to the library and doing lots of research.

You can take a look at the writeups for my second cyclotron project at my second cyclotron webpage. Also, more information about my particle accelerators can be found at my research page.

The first question to ask is "why?" What will you use the machine for? The strongest driver of your design will be its final use, so start there. Remember that high voltages are dangerous and in many cases lethal, and vacuum systems have a tendency to be extremely dangerous as well. Supervision from a professional is recommended.

Good luck!
-Fred