Editing Electron (section)

=== Particle beams ===
[[File:Nasa Shuttle Test Using Electron Beam full.jpg|right|thumb|alt=A violet beam from above produces a blue glow about a Space shuttle model|During a [[NASA]] [[wind tunnel]] test, a model of the [[Space Shuttle]] is targeted by a beam of electrons, simulating the effect of [[ion]]izing gases during [[Atmospheric entry|re-entry]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Image # L-1975-02972
 |department=[[Langley Research Center]]
 |publisher= [[NASA]] |date=April 4, 1975
 |url=https://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-003012.html
 |url-status=dead |access-date=2008-09-20 |df=dmy-all
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207041522/https://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-003012.html
 |archive-date=December 7, 2008
}}</ref>]]

[[Cathode ray|Electron beams]] are used in [[electron beam welding|welding]].<ref>
{{cite web
 | last = Elmer | first = J.
 | title = Standardizing the Art of Electron-Beam Welding
 | publisher=[[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]]
 | date=March 3, 2008
 | url = https://www.llnl.gov/str/MarApr08/elmer.html
 |url-status=dead | access-date = 2008-10-16 |df=dmy-all
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920142328/https://www.llnl.gov/str/MarApr08/elmer.html
 |archive-date=2008-09-20
}}</ref> They allow energy densities up to {{val|e=7|u=W·cm<sup>−2</sup>}} across a narrow focus diameter of {{nowrap|0.1–1.3 mm}} and usually require no filler material. This welding technique must be performed in a vacuum to prevent the electrons from interacting with the gas before reaching their target, and it can be used to join conductive materials that would otherwise be considered unsuitable for welding.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last = Schultz
 | first = H.
 | title = Electron Beam Welding
 | pages = 2–3
 | publisher = [[Woodhead Publishing]]
 | year = 1993
 | isbn = 978-1-85573-050-2
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=I0xMo28DwcIC&pg=PA2
 | access-date = 2020-08-25
 | archive-date = 2022-02-04
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220204084011/https://books.google.com/books?id=I0xMo28DwcIC&pg=PA2
 | url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite book
 | last = Benedict
 | first = G.F.
 | title = Nontraditional Manufacturing Processes
 | series = Manufacturing engineering and materials processing
 | volume = 19
 | page = 273
 | publisher = [[CRC Press]]
 | year = 1987
 | isbn = 978-0-8247-7352-6
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xdmNVSio8jUC&pg=PA273
 | access-date = 2020-08-25
 | archive-date = 2022-02-04
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220204084012/https://books.google.com/books?id=xdmNVSio8jUC&pg=PA273
 | url-status = live
}}</ref>

[[Electron-beam lithography]] (EBL) is a method of etching semiconductors at resolutions smaller than a [[Micrometre|micrometer]].<ref>
{{cite conference
 | last = Ozdemir | first = F.S.
 | title = Electron beam lithography | pages = 383–391
 | conference = Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Design automation
 | date = June 25–27, 1979 | place = San Diego, CA
 | publisher = [[IEEE Press]]
 | url = https://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=800292.811744
 | access-date = 2008-10-16 |df=dmy-all
}}</ref> This technique is limited by high costs, slow performance, the need to operate the beam in the vacuum and the tendency of the electrons to scatter in solids. The last problem limits the resolution to about 10&nbsp;nm. For this reason, EBL is primarily used for the production of small numbers of specialized [[integrated circuit]]s.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last = Madou
 | first = M.J.
 | title = Fundamentals of Microfabrication: the Science of Miniaturization
 | pages = 53–54
 | publisher = CRC Press
 | edition = 2nd
 | year = 2002
 | isbn = 978-0-8493-0826-0
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9bk3gJeQKBYC&pg=PA53
 | access-date = 2020-08-25
 | archive-date = 2021-01-07
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210107160805/https://books.google.com/books?id=9bk3gJeQKBYC&pg=PA53
 | url-status = live
}}</ref>

[[Electron beam processing]] is used to irradiate materials in order to change their physical properties or [[Sterilization (microbiology)|sterilize]] medical and food products.<ref>
{{cite conference
 | last1 = Jongen | first1 = Y.
 | last2 = Herer | first2 = A.
 | title=[no title cited]
 | conference = Electron Beam Scanning in Industrial Applications
 | department = APS/AAPT Joint Meeting
 | date =2–5 May 1996
 | publisher = [[American Physical Society]]
 | bibcode =1996APS..MAY.H9902J
}}</ref> Electron beams fluidise or quasi-melt glasses without significant increase of temperature on intensive irradiation: e.g. intensive electron radiation causes a many orders of magnitude decrease of viscosity and stepwise decrease of its activation energy.<ref>
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Mobus | first1 = G. | display-authors = etal
 | year = 2010
 | title =  Nano-scale quasi-melting of alkali-borosilicate glasses under electron irradiatio
 | journal = Journal of Nuclear Materials
 | volume = 396 | issue = 2–3 | pages = 264–271
 | doi = 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2009.11.020
 | bibcode = 2010JNuM..396..264M
}}</ref>

[[Linear particle accelerator]]s generate electron beams for treatment of superficial tumors in [[radiation therapy]]. [[Electron therapy]] can treat such skin lesions as [[basal-cell carcinoma]]s because an electron beam only penetrates to a limited depth before being absorbed, typically up to 5&nbsp;cm for electron energies in the range 5–20&nbsp;MeV. An electron beam can be used to supplement the treatment of areas that have been irradiated by [[X-ray]]s.<ref>
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Beddar | first1 = A.S.
 | last2 = Domanovic | first2 = Mary Ann
 | last3 = Kubu | first3 = Mary Lou
 | last4 = Ellis | first4 = Rod J.
 | last5 = Sibata | first5 = Claudio H.
 | last6 = Kinsella | first6 = Timothy J.
 | title = Mobile linear accelerators for intraoperative radiation therapy
 | journal = [[AORN Journal]] | year = 2001
 | volume = 74 | issue = 5 | pages = 700–705
 | doi =10.1016/S0001-2092(06)61769-9
 | pmid = 11725448
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 | last1 = Gazda
 | first1 = M.J.
 | last2 = Coia
 | first2 = L.R.
 | date = June 1, 2007
 | title = Principles of Radiation Therapy
 | url = https://www.thymic.org/uploads/reference_sub/02radtherapy.pdf
 | access-date = 2013-10-31
 | df = dmy-all
 | archive-date = 2013-11-02
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131102114151/http://www.thymic.org/uploads/reference_sub/02radtherapy.pdf
 | url-status = live
}}</ref>

[[Particle accelerator]]s use electric fields to propel electrons and their antiparticles to high energies.  These particles emit synchrotron radiation as they pass through magnetic fields. The dependency of the intensity of this radiation upon spin polarizes the electron beam – a process known as the [[Sokolov–Ternov effect]].{{efn|The polarization of an electron beam means that the spins of all electrons point into one direction. In other words, the projections of the spins of all electrons onto their momentum vector have the same sign.}} Polarized electron beams can be useful for various experiments. [[Synchrotron]] radiation can also [[Radiation damping|cool]] the electron beams to reduce the momentum spread of the particles.  Electron and positron beams are collided upon the particles' accelerating to the required energies; [[particle detector]]s observe the resulting energy emissions, which [[particle physics]] studies.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Chao
 | first1 = A.W.
 | last2 = Tigner
 | first2 = M.
 | title = Handbook of Accelerator Physics and Engineering
 | pages = 155, 188
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3J4SjftF1YC&pg=PA155
 | publisher = [[World Scientific]]
 | year = 1999
 | isbn = 978-981-02-3500-0
 | access-date = 2020-08-25
 | archive-date = 2022-02-04
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220204071146/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3J4SjftF1YC&pg=PA155
 | url-status = live
}}</ref>