Cyclotrons belong to a class of machine called particle accelerators.
The NMC is a cyclic accelerator, creating charged particles which are accelerated to high velocities to bombard target substances. Most homes have at least one particle accelerator in them as part of a television picture tube or computer monitor. In PET, a tagged substance is injected or inhaled. This moves normally through the patient to accumulate in the targeted organ. The patient is scanned using a PET camera which translates data into computer images.