Carbon nanotube design enables hair-sized particle accelerators

Researchers have demonstrated a concept for ultra-compact particle accelerators that could shrink stadium-sized facilities to the size of a hair. This new design uses carbon nanotubes and laser light to replicate the function of a synchrotron, potentially enabling powerful X-ray generation in small devices. The technology could expand access to advanced X-ray sources for medicine, drug discovery, and materials science, complementing existing large-scale facilities.