The first circulating beam in the Synchrocyclotron
A log book entry written by Wolfgang Gentner, the head of SC Division, and signed by various colleagues, tells us that a short celebration was held on the 1st of August 1957 following the successful appearance of the first circulating beam.
The 600 MeV Synchrocyclotron (SC) was CERN’s first accelerator and provided beams for its earliest particle and nuclear physics experiments. It was a remarkably long-lived machine, even when superseded by the larger Proton Synchrotron, and operated for 33 years before being decommissioned in December 1990. Work is currently underway to give the SC a new lease of life as an exhibition area and visitor attraction.