Revolutionary Miniature Particle Accelerator Unveiled, Paving the Way for a Faster Future

Researchers have developed nanophotonic electron accelerators, the size of a computer chip, using lasers to speed up electrons. This breakthrough could lead to miniaturized particle accelerators with lower costs and greater portability. The team at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) successfully demonstrated the first nanophotonic electron accelerator, achieving a 43% gain in energy. The ultimate goal is to develop a particle accelerator on a chip for medical applications, such as direct internal radiotherapy. This achievement was also simultaneously demonstrated by researchers at Stanford University, with both teams collaborating on the "Accelerator on a chip" project funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.