Van de Graaff, Robert Jemison
From The Encyclopedia of Earth
October 7, 2006, 5:12 pm
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)
