Use of an Accelerator in Undergraduate Modern Physics Courses at Concordia College

In the physics department at Concordia College, Moorhead, MN there are three standard experiments in the undergraduate curriculum for which a 350kV Cockroft‐Walton ion accelerator is used. These include 1) Rutherford scattering of protons by thin metallic foils, 2) the nuclear reaction of protons with ¹²C to produce ¹³N + γ and 3) reaction of protons with ⁷Li to produce two α particles detected in coincidence. This paper will present typical data from these experiments and describe the fundamental principles and techniques demonstrated in each experiment.