Modern modulators for Fermilab accelerators

Take a walk along the hall that houses Fermilab’s linear accelerator, and you’ll see tall sets of brightly lit shelves that resemble fancy vending machines. But instead of snacks and beverages, they hold boxy structures that resemble gleaming car batteries. Arranged in neat columns and rows, these cells—known as Marx cells and installed during the last 36 months—have rejuvenated the aging Fermilab linear accelerator, or Fermilab Linac, and help guarantee its exceptional performance for the decade to come.