Quarks, leptons, bosons. The language of physicists can seem utterly incomprehensible. These names, given to elementary particles 1,000 times smaller than the proton in an atomic nucleus, are emblematic of the otherworldly knowledge that comes from particle accelerators, giant devices once known as atom smashers. Ernest O. Lawrence first proposed smashing atoms together in 1930. Today, accelerators are used at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico to understand nuclear reactions. Here, hydrogen ions are being fused, creating a fearsome web of electrical arcs. Accelerators are used in cancer therapy, plastics, and other industrial applications.

Related Links
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: "Lawrence and His Laboratory: A Historian's View of the Lawrence Years"

Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Sandia National Labs

Sandia National Labs: Z Accelerator

Sandia National Labs: Design for the X-1 Accelerator