van de Graaff generator

US physicist Robert Jemison van de Graaff developed this high-powered generator, which can produce more than a million volts. Experiments involving high-energy charged particles make use of a van de Graaff generator, generally for the initial acceleration of the particles, which are then passed to more powerful accelerators.

Electrostatic generator capable of producing a voltage of over a million volts. It consists of a continuous vertical conveyor belt that carries electrostatic charges (resulting from friction) up to a large hollow sphere supported on an insulated stand. The lower end of the belt is earthed, so that charge accumulates on the sphere. The size of the voltage built up in air depends on the radius of the sphere, but can be increased by enclosing the generator in an inert atmosphere, such as nitrogen.