Definition of "betatron" []

• A magnetic induction electron accelerator capable of accelerating electrons to energies of several hundred million electron volts. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "As a team of six doctors, nurses, and technicians hover at chamber-side, the radiologist maneuvers a betatron into position."
• "After fifteen minutes under full pressure . . . the radiologist turns on the betatron and shoots radiation at the tumor."
• "A precursor to the Canadian Light Source synchrotron now located at the university, the betatron used magnets to accelerate electrons to an energy level of 25 million electron volts."