Open Question
Cyclotrons are widely used in nuclear medicine for producing short-lived radioactive isotopes. These cyclotrons typically accelerate H- (the hydride ion, which has one proton and two electrons) to an energy of 5 MeV to 20 MeV. This ion has a mass very close to that of a proton because the electron mass is negligible—about 1/2000 of the proton's mass. A typical magnetic field in such cyclotrons is 1.9 T. (a) What is the speed of a 5.0-MeV H-? (b) If the H- has energy 5.0 MeV and B = 1.9 T, what is the radius of this ion's circular orbit?