Harwell Synchrocyclotron

The Harwell Synchrocyclotron was a particle accelerator with a 2.8-meter diameter magnet that accelerated protons to energies between 160 and 175 MeV. The device supported physics research and formed part of the scientific infrastructure at the Harwell research center.

Construction of this research facility began in 1946 and was completed in 1949, marking the start of nuclear research in post-war Britain. The installation operated under British atomic authority control during the decades following World War II.

The facility contributed to British nuclear physics research through experiments in proton-proton and proton-neutron scattering during the Cold War period.

The site was part of a larger research center and is no longer open to visitors, as the facility was decommissioned during the 1990s. You can view the location from outside or learn about its scientific legacy through documentation.

The machine was housed in a hangar that also contained the ZETA nuclear fusion project, an early British initiative in fusion research. This hangar was demolished between 2005 and 2006.