Accelerator Laboratory – Dr. Shinpaugh

The ECU Accelerator Laboratory houses a 2 MV tandem Van de Graaff accelerator with sputter ion source which is used for basic and applied research. The research areas currently active are:

• Studies of ionization and excitation process in ion-atom, ion molecule, and ion-surface interactions.
• Effects of electronic structure of “dressed” ions on ionization and charge transfer processes important to the assessment of charged particle track structure and electron transport in tissue-like material.
• Interaction cross sections studied through measurements of the energy and angular distribution of electrons ejected by the impact of fast ions and neutral particles with gas and solid targets.
• Trace elements analysis using proton induced x-ray emission analysis (PIXE) as a research component for studies in such diverse fields as anthropology, archaeology, biology, geology, and medicine.

The laboratory uses a wide range of specialized equipment including various types of radiation detectors for charged particles, VUV, x-rays and gamma-rays; CAMAC and NIM modular electronics for detector signal processing; and computers and computer interfaces for data acquisition, analysis, and control.

In 2010, the Van de Graaff accelerator at ECU was retired to make way for a new 2-million-volt tandem Pelletron accelerator from National Electrostatics Corporation to be installed in November of 2011. A major renovation of the ECU Accelerator Laboratory is in progress to accommodate the new accelerator.

Tandem Pelletron Accelerator