Rolf Wideröe and the Development of Particle Accelerators

Abstract

The development of particle accelerators is traced from the simple but ingenious table-top devices conceived during the late 1920s to the present day's large, complex machines which extend over tens of kilometers. The emphasis is on Rolf Wideröe and his seminal contributions to the field. Not only did Wideröe construct the first accelerator which accelerated charged particles to an energy higher than the maximum voltage difference is the accelerator proper, he also invented particle colliders, today's work horse in experimental particle physics.