Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (
TJNAF), commonly called Jefferson Lab (JLAB), is a
U.S. national laboratory operated as of 1 June 2006 by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, a joint venture between Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc., and CSC Applied Technologies, LLC. Until 1996 it was known as the
Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF).
Founded in
1984, it is located in
Newport News,
Virginia. TJNAF employs 675 people and more than 2,000 scientists from around the world conduct research using the facility. Its stated mission is "to provide forefront scientific facilities, opportunities and leadership essential for discovering the fundamental structure of nuclear matter; to partner in industry to apply its advanced technology; and to serve the nation and its communities through education and public outreach."
The laboratory's main research facility is the CEBAF accelerator, consisting of a polarized
electron source and injector and a pair of
RF linear accelerators 7/8 miles in length connected by two arc sections which contain steering magnets. As the electron beam makes successive orbits, up to five, its energy is increased up to a maximum of 6
GeV. One of the distinguishing features of TJNAF is the continuous nature of the electron beam, with a bunch length of less than 1
picosecond. The accelerator is built 25 feet below the earth's surface and walls of the tunnel are 2 feet thick.
The nuclear physics program is carried out at three end stations: Hall A, Hall B, and Hall C.
TJNAF also the world's most powerful
free electron laser at over 10
kilowatts.
Currently there are plans to construct an additional end station, Hall D, as well as double the beam energy to 12
GeV.
*
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, official site*
Google Hybrid Map of TJNAF*
MSN Virtual Earth Aerial Map*
Physics Division at Jefferson Lab (includes links to each of the experimental halls)
*
Free-Electron Laser Program*
12 GeV Upgrade*
K-12 Science Education
