The accelerator tube is a key component of an accelerator, playing an important role in various physical and medical fields. The following is a detailed introduction to the accelerator tube:

1、 Basic definition of acceleration tube

The accelerating tube, also known as the accelerating tube in English, is one of the core components of an accelerator. Its main function is to accelerate electrons or ions injected from electron guns or other ion sources to a high-energy state under the action of microwave electric fields or electrostatic fields, ultimately used to generate high-energy rays or conduct other physical experiments and medical treatments.


2、 Classification of acceleration tubes

Acceleration tubes can be classified into various types based on their acceleration methods and structural characteristics, mainly including traveling wave acceleration tubes and standing wave acceleration tubes:
Traveling wave accelerator tube: Using traveling wave method to accelerate electrons, using magnetron as a microwave power source. This type of acceleration tube usually has high acceleration efficiency and stable acceleration performance.
Standing wave accelerator tube: composed of a series of coupled resonant cavities, which uses standing wave to accelerate electrons, and the klystron serves as a microwave power source. During the acceleration process of a standing wave accelerator tube, the electron beam oscillates back and forth between the resonant cavities, gradually accelerating.

3、 The working principle of the accelerator tube

The working principle of an accelerator tube mainly involves the injection, acceleration, and extraction processes of electrons or ions. Taking a medical electronic linear accelerator as an example, the working process of its accelerator tube mainly includes the following steps:

Building a vacuum environment: The interior of the accelerator tube needs to maintain a high degree of vacuum to reduce the scattering effect of gas molecules on accelerating particles and improve acceleration efficiency. By using exhaust systems and vacuum pumps, gas molecules inside the accelerator tube can be extracted to create a vacuum environment.

Generating electron beam: An electron gun is a component that generates an electron beam, which is emitted by heating the cathode and forms an electron beam under the pulse voltage provided by the modulator.
Electron beam acceleration: After entering the accelerator tube, the electron beam is accelerated under the action of a microwave electric field or electrostatic field. In a traveling wave accelerator tube, the electron beam is accelerated along the direction of microwave propagation; In a standing wave accelerator tube, the electron beam oscillates back and forth between the resonant cavities and is accelerated.

Generating therapeutic radiation: The accelerated electron beam can be used to directly treat superficial tumors, or bombard heavy metal targets to produce high-energy X-rays for the treatment of deep tumors.
4、 Performance requirements for acceleration tubes

As a key component of an accelerator, the performance of the accelerator tube directly affects the overall performance and stability of the accelerator. Therefore, the acceleration tube needs to meet the following performance requirements in the design and manufacturing process:


Sufficient acceleration voltage: The accelerator tube needs to be able to provide sufficient acceleration voltage to ensure that electrons or ions can be accelerated to the required energy.

Good vacuum degree: The interior of the accelerator tube needs to maintain a very high vacuum degree to reduce the scattering effect of gas molecules on accelerating particles.

Stable electric field distribution: The electric field distribution inside the accelerator tube needs to be stable and uniform to ensure that electrons or ions can maintain a stable trajectory during the acceleration process.

Good heat dissipation performance: The accelerator tube generates a large amount of heat during operation, so it is necessary to have good heat dissipation performance to ensure the stable operation of the equipment.

5、 Application fields of acceleration tubes

Accelerator tubes are widely used in various physical and medical fields, including but not limited to:

Radiation therapy: Medical accelerator tubes are the core components of medical electronic linear accelerators used to generate high-energy radiation for the treatment of tumors.

Nuclear physics research: In nuclear physics experiments, an accelerator tube is used to accelerate particles to study the structure and properties of atomic nuclei.


Materials Science: The high-energy rays generated by accelerator tubes can be used in fields such as material modification, etching, and characterization.

In summary, as a key component of accelerators, the accelerator tube plays an important role in multiple fields. With the continuous progress of technology and the expansion of application fields, the design and manufacturing technology of acceleration tubes will also be continuously improved and enhanced.