Synchrotron
A large ring-shaped particle accelerator in which guiding magnetic fields and accelerating RF electric fields increase synchronously as particles gain relativistic energy.
Governing formula
B(t) ∝ p(t), RF Frequency Synchronized to Beam Speed
SI unit
GeV or TeV (Beam Energy)
In depth
Unlike cyclotrons, synchrotrons keep particles circulating in a fixed closed circular orbit. Bending magnet fields ramp up as particle momentum increases, compensating for relativistic mass increase.
Examples in the real world
CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerating proton beams to 6.8 TeV around a 27-kilometer ring.