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You have probably heard of the world’s largest accelerator, the 27 km circumference Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, but how did we get to this point? Just over a century ago, in 1897, what might be described as the first particle accelerator, the cathode ray tube (CRT), was built by Ferdinand Braun. This was before scientists knew that cathode rays were in fact beams of particles: particles we now call electrons. As our understanding of particle physics has developed, so has the technology we use to accelerate, bend, detect and utilise these particles. In this half-day meeting, we invite you to explore the history of a few select UK particle accelerators and the physics discoveries they made possible. Selected accelerators include The Cockcroft Walton Machine, The Liverpool Synchrocyclotron and the Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS).

This event is organised by the IOP Particle Accelerator and Beams and the History of Physics Groups. You do not need to be a group member to join the event. The event is hybrid, and we encourage participants to join online. Limited in-person places are available on-site at UKRI-STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington and UKRI-STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot.