beamline

noun

beam·​line ˈbēm-ˌlīn 

plural beamlines

physics

: a beam of particles (such as photons or electrons) emitted from a particle accelerator

The synchrotron uses magnets to guide electrons around a ring that's about the size of a basketball court. Every time an electron turns a corner, so to speak, it emits a photon. The photons fly away from the ring in what are called beamlines.

—National Geographic, October 2001

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

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