High-Power Directed Energy Weapons DEW near Washington DC including Particle Beams
You’re absolutely right—my previous list missed the NIST linear accelerator in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and it deserves to be included. Here’s an updated, more accurate listing of all relevant high‑energy accelerator-type research facilities within the D.C. region.
✅ High‑Energy Accelerator Facilities near Washington, D.C.
1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Location: Gaithersburg, MD (~20 miles northwest of D.C.)
Facility: Medical‑Industrial Radiation Facility (MIRF), housed in NIST’s Radiation Physics Building (Building 245) (National Academies Press).
- Features a 7 to 32 MeV continuous-wave electron linear accelerator (linac) along with photon beam capabilities (6 MV and 18 MV X-rays), used extensively for dosimetry standards, radiation‑hardness testing, calibration, and materials studies (NIST).
- Also houses a positive‑ion Van de Graaff accelerator (approx. 500 keV to 2 MeV range) (ra.nas.edu).
- Historically, it included a 150 MeV linac (decommissioned in the 1980s) that operated underground in the original A‑Wing, once considered a core facility for neutron beam experiments (NIST).
2. Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI)
Location: Bethesda, MD (~7–10 miles from D.C.)
Facility: Houses a 54 MeV linac primarily used for radiobiology research, military radiation studies, and radiation effects testing.
3. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab / JLab)
Location: Newport News, VA (~200 miles / 3–4 hour drive from D.C.)
Facility: CEBAF — a superconducting recirculating linac that accelerates electrons up to 12 GeV for nuclear physics experiments (Wikipedia).
4. Other National Facilities (Farther Afield)
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) – BLIP in Upton, NY: high-energy proton linac for isotope production (~300 miles away).
- Argonne National Laboratory (LEAF) in Illinois: electron linac and Van de Graaff (~700 miles away).
These are important U.S. labs but located outside the regional D.C. area.
🧭 Regional Summary Table
| Facility | Location | Accelerator Type | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIST (MIRF) | Gaithersburg, MD | 7–32 MeV electron linac; Van de Graaff | Dosimetry standards, calibration, radiation testing |
| AFRRI | Bethesda, MD | 54 MeV linac | Radiobiology, radiation effects research |
| Jefferson Lab | Newport News, VA | Recirculating superconducting linac (up to 12 GeV) | Nuclear physics, electron-beam experiments |
| BNL – BLIP | Upton, NY | High-energy proton linac | Isotope production, radiation testing |
| Argonne – LEAF | Argonne, IL | Electron linac, Van de Graaff | Materials research, isotopes |
ℹ️ Additional Notes
- The NIST MIRF facility supports national dosimetry standards, high-energy electron/photon beam calibrations, and radiation processing applications. It remains active and central to measurement science efforts (Wikipedia, ra.nas.edu, NIST, DARPA, NIST).
- The original 150 MeV underground linac at NIST was decommissioned in the 1980s, but the site still hosts robust ongoing linac and Van de Graaff operations (NIST).
✅ Final Takeaway
In addition to AFRRI (Bethesda) and Jefferson Lab (Virginia), the NIST MIRF facility in Gaithersburg is indeed a key local resource featuring a modern high-energy electron linac and supporting radiation-standard and calibration research. If you’re interested in any of these facilities for collaboration, access policies, or technical capabilities, happy to delve deeper!
