Cryomodules, sections of Jefferson Lab's accelerator, are designed, assembled, tested and maintained in the Test Lab building.

A D D I T I O N A L    L I N K S: SRF Institute CASA Operations Injector Group CEBAF About Accelerators

Accelerator Science

Jefferson Lab is recognized as a world leader in accelerator science. This expertise comes from the planning, building, maintaining and operating of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) – the lab’s particle accelerator.

CEBAF is based on superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) technology. It produces a stream of charged electrons that scientists use to probe the nucleus of the atom. CEBAF was the first large-scale application of SRF technology in the world, and it is the world's most advanced particle accelerator for investigating the quark structure of the atom's nucleus.

Operating and maintaining CEBAF is the lab’s Accelerator Division, which is responsible for delivering high-quality electron beams for experiments, using a sophisticated computer system to control hundreds of  thousands of hardware components, including complex cryogenic, microwave, vacuum and magnet systems that comprise the accelerator. The group also pursues a broad program of theoretical and experimental research in accelerator and beam physics.