To produce neutrons and muons, ISIS uses high-energy particle accelerators. Below is an overview video of what happens inside the ISIS machine.
As explained in the video, at the heart of ISIS is an 800 MeV proton accelerator producing intense pulses of protons 50 times a second. These pulses are then fired at two tungsten targets to produce neutrons through a process called spallation. Before one of the neutron targets is a carbon foil that acts as a secondary target to produce muons for experiments. For more information on these particles, read our guides "What is a neutron?" and "What is a muon?".
A detailed explanation of how the ISIS machine works can be found in our
Practical Guide to ISIS.
