| Noun | 1. | Cockcroft and Walton accelerator - a high-voltage machine in which rectifiers charge capacitors that discharge and drive charged particles through an accelerating tube Cockcroft and Walton voltage multiplier, Cockcroft-Walton accelerator, Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier atom smasher, particle accelerator, accelerator - a scientific instrument that increases the kinetic energy of charged particles |