Procedure

You will be walked through the facility by a member of the McMaster University Cyclotron Facility team. You will be signed in as a guest and escorted down to the basement that houses the cyclotron so that you can see it in all its glorious detail. Be mindful to follow all instructions from your guide to avoid taking an unnecessarily high dose of radiation. Don’t touch anything if you can avoid it.

Once you’ve seen the cyclotron, you will step out to the control room where the cyclotron is operated from. Your guide will explain how they are operating the controls but, unfortunately, cannot allow students to do the operating. The magnetic field of the solenoid will be ramped up and protons will be generated and begin their journey around the cyclotron.

Sensors will be moved into place that allow the user to measure the proton current at various spots in the cyclotron. Once protons reach the measurement foil, the magnetic field will be swept across a range of values and the proton current will be measured. From this peak proton current, the magnetic field to current ratio can be deduced, which is an important parameter in cyclotrons, and really any electromagnet.