Cyclotrons offer unique capabilities for materials testing, particularly for simulating radiation environments that components would face in space or nuclear applications. These particle accelerators can produce beams of protons, deuterons, alphas, and other ions at various energies, making them versatile tools for radiation effects testing12. For space electronics testing, cyclotrons can simulate the harsh radiation environment of space, where single nuclear particles can cause upsets or even failures in electronic components—phenomena known as Single Event Effects (SEE)3.

The testing process typically involves placing materials or components in specialized chambers, where they are bombarded with precisely controlled particle beams. Facilities like UC Davis's 76-inch cyclotron can tune beam energies continuously across ranges, producing clean beams with low energy spreads ideal for radiation testing1. Advanced facilities such as the 88-Inch Cyclotron can deliver "cocktails" of ions with different stopping powers and ranges, allowing researchers to examine various radiation effects without completely retuning the accelerator—a process that takes just minutes rather than hours2. These capabilities make cyclotrons essential tools for qualifying electronics for spacecraft, developing radiation-hardened materials, and advancing fusion energy technologies through controlled simulation of neutron damage.

Proton beam simulation is essential for advancing radiation therapy and testing technologies. Modern simulation approaches combine magnetic field modeling (using tools like COMSOL) with radiation transport simulations (via Geant4 or TOPAS) to create comprehensive models of proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) nozzles.12 These simulations allow researchers to predict beam behavior, including deflection patterns at the isocenter plane and magnetic fringe fields, which can then be validated against high-precision magnetometer measurements.1

For medical applications, simulations help optimize treatment delivery by modeling how protons interact with tissues. Researchers have developed methods to simulate MR-guided proton therapy systems, enabling the integration of PBS with MRI technology for improved targeting precision.3 In radiation effects testing, proton beam simulations serve a different purpose—they facilitate fault injection testing for electronic systems, allowing engineers to verify fault tolerance mechanisms without relying solely on software-based simulations.4 These simulation methods are continuously refined through experimental benchmarking, where simulated dose profiles are compared with measurements from devices like Markus chambers to ensure accuracy in predicting proton beam behavior in various materials.5

The Alcator C-Mod tokamak, which operated at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center from 1991 to 2016, was a pioneering fusion experiment with several distinctive features. This compact, high-magnetic-field tokamak set world records for plasma pressure, achieving 2.05 atmospheres on its final day of operation—a 15% improvement over its previous record.1 The device generated plasmas reaching over 35 million degrees Celsius (twice as hot as the sun's center) in a volume of just one cubic meter, producing 300 trillion fusion reactions per second.1

What made Alcator C-Mod unique was its combination of high magnetic fields (up to 8 tesla, or 160,000 times Earth's magnetic field) and compact design.21 The third in the Alcator series (following Alcator A and C), it pioneered several technologies later adopted by other fusion devices, including the vertical target-plate divertor with refractory metals.2 Though operations ceased in September 2016 after 23 years of groundbreaking research, the facility's legacy continues through its contributions to over 150 PhD theses and its archived data, which researchers still analyze today.21 The expertise developed through Alcator C-Mod now informs MIT's work on high-field superconducting magnets for the conceptual ARC (Affordable Robust Compact) reactor design.1