Gallery: Historic Atom Smasher Reduced to Rubble and Revelry
Lawrence Berkeley Lab01bevatron-1a
Jon Snyder/Wired.com02bevatron-1b
Lawrence Berkeley Lab03bevatron-2a
The Bevatron in 1955
Jon Snyder/Wired.com04bevatron-2b
A construction worker is tested in May for radiation during demolition.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab05bevatron-3a
Nobel Prize winning physicist Edwin McMillan explains the principle behind the 184-inch cyclotron. McMillan's ideas helped improve the concept of the cyclotron and led to the synchrotron. The Bevatron was one of the first synchrotrons built.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com06bevatron-3b
On top of the Bevatron as it is being torn down.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab07bevatron-4a
The preparation for the the Bevatron's 10,000-ton ring of magnets.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com08bevatron-4b
A piece of a Bevatron beamline that has been disassembled.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab09bevatron-5a
The circular tunnel under the Bevatron was later filled in with concrete and steel to support thousands of tons of new shielding that was added during modifications to the accelerator.
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A concrete block that was used to shield people from the Bevatron's radiation.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab11bevatron-6a
The Bevatron's computer control center shown above sat on top of the igloo of concrete shielding that surrounded the machine.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com12bevatron-6b
A pile of Bevatron bits during demolition.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab13bevatron-7a
The Bevatron control panel in 1969 was actually a streamlined version of the original which had many more buttons and dials.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com14bevatron-7b
The hollowed out control room as it looked at the beginning of the demolition.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab15bevatron-8a
Bevatron director Edward Lofgren and physicist Edward McMillan stand on the massive shielding blocks that protected scientists from radiation created by the particle accelerator. The blocks that covered the top of the accelerator were seven feet thick. One of the primary hazards of demolishing the Bevatron is dealing with the radiation soaked concrete.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com16bevatron-8b
A radiation safety control in the Bevatron during demolition.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab17bevatron-9a
The construction of one of the Bevatron's straight sections is shown above. The Bevatron was actually a race-track shaped accelerator with four straight sections connected by curved corners.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com18bevatron-9b
A pile of electronic equipment stripped from the Bevatron during demolition.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab19bevatron-10a
In 1963, the accelerator got a new injection system. Particles were accelerated and focused in a linear accelerator called the Linac, and then injected into the Bevatron's track. In 1971, engineers connected the Bevatron to an even bigger linear accelerator, the SuperHILAC. The combination was known as the Bevalac.
Jon Snyder/Wired.com20bevatron-10b
Workers in the Bevatron during demolition.
