Scientists from across the country and around the world visit the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to advance mankind’s understanding of the atom’s nucleus — not only to research the make up of matter itself, but how to better produce new and stronger materials for the future.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Jefferson Lab (JLab) is managed by a consortium of 53 universities called the Southeastern Universities Research Association, or SURA, under contract by DOE. JLab’s unique Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator is a machine in a racetrack-shaped concrete tunnel 7/8 of a mile long and 25 feet underground. It uses superconducting technology to deliver a continuous beam of electrons to targets, such as hydrogen, carbon, gold, or lead. When the beam collides with its target in one of the three large, hill-like experimental halls, the particles scatter. By studying the speed, direction, and energy of the scattered particles, scientists learn more about how the nucleus is put together. Each year over 1,550 scientists visit JLab, booking accelerator time years in advance.
In addition to particle physics, JLab works to educate the next generation of scientists and to partner with industry in utilizing JLab’s advanced technologies.
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