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Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison

Lead Author: Cutler J. Cleveland (other articles)
Article Topics: Energy people, Natural sciences and Biographies
This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry (other articles)
Last Updated: October 7, 2006


Robert Jemison Van de Graaff (1901-1967) was an American physicist who developed a high-voltage electrostatic generator (later called the Van de Graaff generator) that served as a type of particle accelerator. In 1929, the first working model generated 80,000 volts. In 1946, he co-founded the High Voltage Engineering Corp. to manufacture his accelerator. Widely used in atomic research, the device was also adapted to produce high-energy X rays for medical and industrial uses.

Further Reading
Short Van de Graaff biography (Earthsky.org)

History of the Van de Graaff Generator (Museum of Science, Boston)
Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author); Peter Saundry (Topic Editor);. 2006. "Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth January 17, 2009; Last revised October 7, 2006; Retrieved September 2, 2010]<http://www.eoearth.org/article/Van_de_Graaff,_Robert_Jemison>
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