Scientists at work on a prototype 4.5 metres dipole magnet being developed for use in the proposed Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) particle accelerator. Approximately 10,000 superconducting magnets will be needed to focus & guide 2 beams of protons in opposite directions around the 83 km circumference Supercollider tunnel. The beams will be accelerated to almost the speed of light then allowed to collide with an energy of 40 teraelectron volts (TeV). A mass of detectors will study the subatomic particles that result from the high-energy collisions. This photograph was taken at Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, USA.