tandem accelerator

A tandem accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses a two-stage process to speed up ions. First, ions are given a positive electric charge and accelerated toward a negatively charged metal plate (the "dees"). When they hit the plate, they gain electrons and become negatively charged. Then, they are repelled from the negative plate and attracted back toward a positive high-voltage terminal, which accelerates them further. This two-step process allows the ions to reach very high energies, making tandem accelerators useful for scientific research, such as studying materials or conducting nuclear experiments.