Particle source

As particle physicists denote a machine which is capable of a directed particle beam to emit. In most cases, the particle source has to meet even more stringent requirements than simply emitting particles. Typically only one type of particle is emitted, and only particles of a certain speed are usually required. For the last-mentioned point, various filters are used behind an ordinary particle source , for example the Wien filter for charged particles.

There are several ways to create a particle source. For example, you can use a radioactive alpha emitter or a furnace in which a certain material is vaporized.

Particle sources are mainly used in research and , since the 1990s , increasingly in medicine .