Rule of thumb · PhysicsNº 88 / 238

In a magnetic field an electron circles 28 billion times a second for every tesla, however fast it goes

How fast does a charged particle go round in a magnetic field?

A charged particle in a magnetic field goes round a circle at a rate set by the field and the particle alone, 28 GHz per tesla for an electron and 15 MHz per tesla for a proton, and a faster one simply goes round a bigger circle.

Why it works

The force qvB is sideways to the motion, so it only turns the particle: the radius is mv/qB and the time for a turn 2πr/v = 2πm/qB, with the speed cancelling. A 100 eV electron in 1 mT circles in 3.4 cm, once every 36 ns. This is what lets a cyclotron give a particle a push every half turn, and a mass spectrometer sort ions by the radius of their path.

When it fails

Only while the speed is small compared with that of light: as a particle nears it the mass grows and the rate falls (a 5 MeV electron is already some 10 times slower). The field must be uniform, and the particle’s own radiation, a few collisions with gas, and the electric field of its neighbours are left out.

Do it exactly

Estimate with the rule, then check it against the calculator that models it properly.

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