From turkeys to turn-keys

Last week, millions of Americans unwrapped a shrink-wrapped turkey for Thanksgiving. If so, they owe thanks to electron beams, which made the shrink-wrapping possible. But the electron beam can do a lot more: It can sterilize medical equipment, treat wastewater and print metal parts. Industrial accelerators that generate these electron beams are rapidly expanding. The Illinois Accelerator Research Center (IARC) is on a mission to build a high-power, compact, superconducting electron beam accelerator that will serve all of these purposes.