Star wars remastered

IU Cyclotron Facility scientists John Cameron, Dennis Friesel and Vladimir Derenchuck were walking through the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico last year when they spotted something they would like for their program. That something was a ground-test accelerator, a 40-foot long device used in the Reagan administration's defense program, nicknamed "Star Wars."\n"It was actually very easy to get," said Cameron, director of the facility. \nAs the three were walking around, they somewhat jokingly asked if they could have the accelerator. \nTo the trio's surprise, the answer was yes.\nDerenchuck, project leader of IU Cyclotron's Low Energy Neutron Source, said he is very excited about the prospects of the piece of equipment, which the program received last fall. It was originally used to shoot down missiles at a distance using a concentrated proton beam for the United States' defense.\n"That's what the Star Wars project was all about," Derenchuck said.\nThe Cyclotron Facility Laboratory is used for many scientific disciplines, Derenchuck said. Everything from physics to medical problems are tested at the facility.\nThe LENS project is devoted to the study of small particles. The ground-test accelerator will become part of what is basically a large microscope to be made by 2006, Cameron said. It will be used primarily as a training ground for scientists who will later work at the $1.5 billion neutron source in Oak Ridge, Tenn.\n"It's bigger than your apartment," Cameron said of the LENS project's size.\nThe huge microscope will be used to study some of earth's tiniest objects. Cameron said LENS will use it to observe studies important for medical research. \n"It's a big microscope used to study proteins and viruses," Cameron said.\nThe Cyclotron is an organization supported by IU, state and federal grants, as well as user fees. It was started in 1941 as one of the first cyclotrons in the world and is used to turn protons into neutrons for various scientific purposes.\n In 1993, the cyclotron was used in studies for treatment of cancers and other non-malignant diseases. This has helped form the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute, which will provide medical services. Many programs in the area of materials science are now being investigated at the cyclotron.\nFor more information, visit www.iucf.indiana.edu.\n-- Contact staff writer Cecelia Wolford at cwolford@indiana.edu.