 Electrostatic accelerator

An electrostatic accelerator gives a charged particle kinetic energy by taking it through a sustained electric potential difference. Its ion source, accelerating tube and target form a particularly direct chain: prepare a charge, let an electric field do work, and measure what arrives or what the target emits. A vacuum reduces collisions with gas before the beam reaches its target. The Cockcroft-Walton generator supplies the potential by accumulating electric charge on capacitors.