PX156 - K2 - linear accelerator

• AKA *LINACs
• accelerates particles in a single direction
• no magnetic field needed
• array of accelerating structures
• usually radiofrequency (RF) resonating cavities using RF power to create the electric field
• synchronizing the particle as it speeds up with the right phase of the RF is the trick
  

benefits

• easy to build
• can accelerate electrons to reasonable energies ($\sim GeV$) without power loss

drawbacks

• don't get to high energy without lots of acceleration $⟹$ long
• long $⟹$ lots of land
• diminishing returns for relativistic speeds $⟹$ can't go to very high energies