Van de Graaf, Robert Jemison
Robert Jemison Van de Graaff (1901-1967) was an American physicist who developed a high-voltage electrostatic generator (later called the Van de Graaff generator) that served as a type of particle accelerator. In 1929, the first working model generated 80,000 volts. In 1946, he co-founded the High Voltage Engineering Corp. to manufacture his accelerator. Widely used in atomic research, the device was also adapted to produce high-energy X rays for medical and industrial uses.
Sources
- Cleveland, Cutler (Lead Author); Peter Saundry (Topic Editor). 2009. "Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [Published in the Encyclopedia of Earth January 17, 2009; Retrieved October 19, 2009]. <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Van_de_Graaff,_Robert_Jemison>
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