Only the crown is above the surface. The main part, which houses the accelerator, has been placed 20 feet underground, with considerable earth shielding, including 10 feet of compacted gravel, on all sides as precaution against radiation hazards. The purpose of an accelerator is to produce intense beams of high-energy electrons. An electron is the most elementary charge of negative electricity. It possesses a wave motion which seems to depend on its velocity.
Electrons are a part of all atoms and make rays which are emitted by hot bodies.