ANL, Argonne
Funding: This presentation is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
The scientific case for advanced, high intensity radioactive beam facilities has been made repeatedly by the world-wide nuclear science community. As a result several such facilities of various scopes and based on a wide variety of technologies were proposed and are in various stages of planning and construction. This presentation will compare the capabilities of these next-generation projects and review their technological challenges. These facilities will be based on several types of isotope production accelerators with beam powers from a few kilowatts to megawatts, and will utilize driver beams from protons to uranium. Also, they are generally divided between ISOL-type (light ion drivers) and beam-fragmentation facilities (heavy ion drivers). Secondary, radioactive beams can be available at ion source energy or stopped, as in-flight beams following fragment separators and delivered for research at high energies, or as beams reaccelerated from ISOL-type ion sources or after stopping in gas catchers. The different facility types face a variety of technological challenges that must be overcome to reach their full potential.
JAEA, Ibaraki
KEK, Tsukuba
Tokai Radioactive Ion Accelerator Complex (TRIAC) is an ISOL-based radioactive nuclear beam (RNB) facility, connected to the ISOL in the tandem accelerator at Tokai site of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). At JAEA-tandem accelerator facility, we can produce radioactive nuclei by means of proton induced uranium fission, heavy ion fusion or transfer reaction. Since TRIAC was opened for use in 2005, we have provided RNBs of fission products and 8Li. For the production of 8Li, we chose 13C (7Li, 8Li) neutron transfer reaction by 7Li primary beam and a 99% enriched 13C sintered disk target. The release time of Li ions from the 13C sintered target was measured to be 3.2 s. We are developing the RNB of 9Li (T1/2=178 ms) but the long release time caused a significant loss of the beam intensity. A boron nitride target which has fast release of Li is developed for 9Li beam with intensity of 104 ions/s after separation by JAEA-ISOL.
MSU/NSCL, East Lansing
The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU) is currently constructing its new reaccelerated beam facility- ReA3. ReA3 will provide world-unique low energy rare isotope beams by stopping fast, separated rare isotopes in a gas-stopper, and then reaccelerating them in a Linear Accelerator. ReA3 will provide pioneering beams for research in one of the pillars of the next-generation rare isotope facility FRIB that will be hosted at MSU. The main components of ReA3 are a linear cryogenic gas cell to stop the fast beams produced by the existing coupled cyclotron facility, an Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) to boost their charge states, a compact accelerator using a room temperature RFQ and a superconducting linac, and an achromatic beam transport line for delivery to the new experimental area. Beams from ReA3 will range in energy from 0.3 to 6 MeV/u. The maximum energy is 3 MeV/u for heavy nuclei such as uranium, and 6 MeV/u for ions with A<50. The overall design for ReA3 will be presented emphasizing on the ongoing construction and tests of its various components.
ANL, Argonne
Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
Construction and installation of the Californium Rare Ion Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) for ATLAS facility is nearly complete. The facility will use fission fragments from a 1 Ci 252Cf source, thermalized and collected into a low-energy particle beam by a helium gas catcher, mass analyzed by an isobar separator, and charge bred to higher charge states for acceleration in ATLAS. In addition, unaccelerated beams will be available for trap and laser probe studies. Expected yields of accelerated beams are up to ~5x105 (107 to traps) far-from-stability ions per second on target. We expect first beam tests from the project by May 2009. The facility design and first results of beam studies using a weaker 2.2 and 80 mCi sources will be presented in this report. Plans for installation of the 1 Ci source will be discussed.
INFN/LNS, Catania
The EXCYT project has successfully come to conclusion at the end of 2006. As a consequence a new facility for production and acceleration of radioactive ion beams is now available at Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania. This facility is based on the ISOL method: in particular the primary beam is delivered by a Superconducting Cyclotron, while the secondary beam is post-accelerated by a Tandem. A low energy radioactive beam is also available at the exit of the pre-injector. The main features of the commissioning of the facility will be described. Details will be given on the characteristics of the diagnostic devices. Future development activities are related both to the operative features of the new facility and to the improvements and upgrading that are planned to be introduced in the near future. All of these subjects will be extensively discussed.
INFN/LNL, Legnaro
INFN/LNS, Catania
SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is an INFN project to develop a Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) facility as an intermediate step toward EURISOL. The SPES project is part of the INFN Road Map for the Nuclear Physics development in Italy and is supported by LNL and LNS the INFN National Laboratories of Nuclear Physics in Legnaro and Catania. The Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (LNL) was chosen as the facility site due to the presence of the PIAVE-ALPI accelerator complex, which will be used as re-accelerator for the RIBs. The SPES project is based on the ISOL method with an UCx Direct Target and makes use of a proton driver of at least 40 MeV energy and 200 microA current. Neutron-rich radioactive beams will be produced by Uranium fission at an expected fission rate in the target in the order of 1013 fissions per second. The key feature of SPES is to provide high intensity and highquality beams of neutron rich nuclei to perform forefront research in nuclear structure, reaction dynamics and interdisciplinary fields like medical, biological and material sciences. The exotic isotopes will be re-accelerated by the ALPI superconducting linac at energies up to 10AMeV for masses in the region of A=130 amu with an expected rate on target of 109 pps.
INFN/LNL, Legnaro
Padova University/Dept. Mech. Eng., Padova
Padova University/Dept. Chem., Padova
Pavia University/Dept. Chem., Pavia
Trento University/Dept. Mech. Eng., Trento
INFN/BO, Bologna
SPES is a facility to be built at National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN laboratory, Legnaro, Italy) intended to provide intense neutron-rich Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs) directly hitting a UCx target with a proton beam of 40 MeV and 0.2 mA; RIBs will be produced according to the ISOL technique and the new idea that characterize the SPES project is the design of the production target: we propose a target configuration capable to keep high the number of fissions, low the power deposition and fast the release of the produced isotopes. In this work we will present the recent results on the R&D activities regarding the multi-foil direct UCx target.
CEA-IRFU, Gif-sur-Yvette
The Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory at RIKEN Nishina Center is a next generation facility which is capable of providing the world’s most intense RI beams over the whole range of atomic masses. Three new ring cyclotrons have been constructed as post-accelerators for the existing facility in order to provide the intense heavy ion beam for the RI beam production by using a in-flight separation method. The beam commissioning of RIBF was started at July 2006 and we succeeded in the first beam extraction from the final booster cyclotron, SRC, by using 345 MeV/nucleon aluminum beam on December 28th 2006. The first uranium beam with energy of 345 MeV/nucleon was extracted from the SRC on March 23rd 2007. Various modifications for equipments and many beam studies were performed in order to improve the transmission efficiency and to gain up the beam intensity. Consequently, the world’s most intense 0.4 pnA 238U beam with energy of 345 MeV/nucleon and 170 pnA 48Ca beam with energy of 345 MeV/nucleon have been provided for experiments.
RIKEN, Wako, Saitama
The Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory at RIKEN Nishina Center is a next generation facility which is capable of providing the world’s most intense RI beams over the whole range of atomic masses. Three new ring cyclotrons have been constructed as post-accelerators for the existing facility in order to provide the intense heavy ion beam for the RI beam production by using a in-flight separation method. The beam commissioning of RIBF was started at July 2006 and we succeeded in the first beam extraction from the final booster cyclotron, SRC, by using 345 MeV/nucleon aluminum beam on December 28th 2006. The first uranium beam with energy of 345 MeV/nucleon was extracted from the SRC on March 23rd 2007. Various modifications for equipments and many beam studies were performed in order to improve the transmission efficiency and to gain up the beam intensity. Consequently, the world’s most intense 0.4 pnA 238U beam with energy of 345 MeV/nucleon and 170 pnA 48Ca beam with energy of 345 MeV/nucleon have been provided for experiments.
RIKEN, Wako, Saitama
In 2008, the RIKEN RI-Beam Factory (RIBF) succeeded in providing heavy ion beams of 48Ca and 238U with 170 particle-nano-ampere and 0.4 particle-nano-ampere, respectively, at an energy of 345 MeV/u. The transmission efficiency through the accelerator chain has been signifcantly improved owing to the continuous efforts paid since the first beam in 2006. From the operational point of view, however, the intensity of the uranium beam should be much increased. We have, therefore, constructed a superconducting ECR ion source which is capable of the microwave power of 28 GHz. In order to reduce the space-charge effects, the ion source was installed on the high-voltage terminal of the Cockcroft-Walton pre-injector, where the beam from the source will be directly injected into the heavy-ion linac by skipping the RFQ pre-injector. The test of the ion source on the platform has started recently with an existing microwave source of 18 GHz. This pre-injector will be available in October 2009. We will show further upgrade plan of constructing an alternative injector for the RIBF, consisting of the superconducting ECR ion source, an RFQ, and three DTL tanks. An RFQ linac, which has been originally developed for the ion-implantation application will be reused for the new injector. Modification of the RFQ as well as the design study of the DTL are under progress. The new injector, which will be ready in FY2010, aims at independent operation of the RIBF experiments and super-heavy element synthesis.
CERN, Geneva
Over the last few years the REX-ISOLDE post accelerator has delivered 24 different radioactive elements and over 60 isotopes with masses ranging from 8 to 204 amu and with half-lives down to some 10 ms. The high demand for beam time in combination with the versatility of the machine results in 7-8 experiments per year. The low-energy part of REX, consisting of a Penning trap and Electron beam ion source, has developed from a pure bunching and charge-breeding system to an elaborate set of tools that can be used for different purposes. The mass-selectivity of the Penning trap has been explored and a maintained high transmission for the low-energy stage could be demonstrated by the use of pulsed injection from a newly installed RFQ cooler. As a result isobarically clean beams can in principle be provided to the experiments although complications arise for relatively high beam currents. This year we've also shown that the low energy system, particularly the EBIS, can be used for in-trap decays. That means also elements that are normally difficult to extract from the ISOL target-ion source (e.g. refractory elements such as Fe) can be delivered to the experiments by letting the straightforwardly produced mother-nuclei decay in the EBIS before being accelerated. Finally, recent development projects will be discussed such as the setup for polarization of accelerated radioactive beams, presently under build-up.
GANIL, Caen
The buildings and their equipments associated to the nuclear engineering play a crucial role for a successful operation of high beam-power facilities. They also represent the biggest part of the facility total investment cost and are frequently the critical path in the construction planning. The management of the building and conventional facility design and construction is a complex task including many aspects: set up of the functional and technical specifications for buildings, radiation shielding, remote handling, electrical power distribution, cooling system, etc., definition of the interfaces between the accelerator and experimental equipments and the buildings, selection of the building prime contractor, task sharing between the accelerator and physicist teams and the building prime contractor, infrastructures optimization up to the final detailed design. These topics will be discussed taking SPIRAL 2 as example.