Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is tearing down its 1950s particle accelerator the Bevatron, despite protests from locals who fear it could release radioactive material into their locality.
Built in 1954, the Bevatron was “once the crown jewel of the lab, of the National Lab system and of the particle physics world” writes Wired. The discovery of the anti-proton at the accelerator worn a Nobel Prize for Emilio Segré and Owen Chamberlain in 1959.
Physics Today says that at least three other Nobel prizes came out of Bevatron research. In true American fashion, it even inspired its own – albeit minor – superhero.
Now, thanks to some money from the US stimulus package, the Bevatron is finally being dismantled.
Back in April, Amy Standen of KQED wrote:
Much as I tried to get [LBNL’s] Stewart Loken to wax poetic about the demise of the Bevatron, the truth is that he – and, I’ll bet, a lot of scientists – just don’t think that way.
As Loken put it, “science never stands still.” However many Nobel prizes the Bevatron produced, this old, defunct particle accelerator is really just taking up space; its demolition, and replacement with a new, up-to-the-minute research facility, is, Loken feels, the best way to honor the work done here.
However, the removal of concrete blocks that shield parts of the Bevatron is proving controversial. Local residents don’t want them transported through the streets of Berkeley.
Jasmina Vujic, UC Berkeley professor of nuclear engineering, dismissed these fears. “Concrete naturally contains uranium,” she told the Daily Californian. “If people go to their basements, they will probably get more radiation than from the transportation of the concrete shielding blocks.”
The Berkley Daily Planet reports that the Bevatron will live on though. Non-radioactive parts “will be reincarnated, in concrete form—its concrete ground back to powder and used for new construction”, it reported in June.
More photos
KQED’s Goodbye to the Bevatron slideshow
Images: Bevatron in 2009 and 1956 / Lawrence Berkeley Nat’l Lab