Historical Content Note: The following material is reprinted from publications from throughout Fermilab's history. It should be read in its original historical context.
Cyclotron Electromagnet Becomes New Outdoor Display
Harkins magnet display on Batavia Road. Photo by Nadezhda Shemyakina.
A 55-ton electromagnet from a cyclotron used by Enrico Fermi is Fermilab's latest landmark.
Beside Batavia Road, between Rt. 59 and the Village, is the iron/steel electromagnet from a cyclotron built by William D. Harkins. The physics pioneer built the machine with student help in 1936. Enrico Fermi was among the physicists who used it for neutron-diffusion studies.
The Harkins cyclotron was used later in the Manhattan Project at Chicago. A power crane placed the electromagnet on a reinforced concrete pad.