• M.S. Gulley, H. T. Bach, L.J. Bitteker, K.D. John, F.M. Nortier, C. Pillai, F.O. Valdez
  LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico
• A. Seifter
  EPO, Rijswijk

IPF has recently investigated isotope production with proton beams at energies other than the 100-MeV currently available to the IPF beam line. To maximize the yield of a particular isotope, it is necessary to measure the production rate and cross section versus proton beam energy. Studies were conducted at 800 MeV and 197 MeV to determine the cross section of terbium-159. Also, the ability to irradiate targets at different proton beam energies opens up the possibility of producing other radioisotopes. A proof-of-principle test was conducted to develop a 40-MeV tune in the 100-MeV beam line. Another parameter explored was the beam current, which was raised from the normal limit of 250 uA up to 356 uA via both power and repetition rate increase. This proof-of-principle test demonstrated the capability of the IPF beam line for high current operation with potential for higher isotope yields. For the full production mode, system upgrades will need to be in place to operate at high current and high duty factor. These activities are expected to provide the data needed for the development of a new and unique isotope production capability complementing the existing 100-MeV IPF facility.

• K.W. Jones, J.L. Erickson, R.W. Garnett, M.S. Gulley
  LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) accelerator and beam delivery complex generates the proton beams that serve three neutron production sources, a proton radiography facility and a medical and research isotope production facility. The recent operating history of the facility, including both achievements and challenges, will be reviewed. Plans for performance improvement will be discussed, together with the underlying drivers for the ongoing LANSCE Life Extension project. The details of this latter project will also be discussed.

• R.W. Garnett, M.S. Gulley
  LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico

LANSCE has been the centerpiece of large-scale science at Los Alamos National Laboratory for many decades. Recently, funding has been obtained to ensure continued reliable operation of the LANSCE linac and to allow planning to enable the first in a new generation of scientific facilities for the materials community. The emphasis of this new facility is "Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes" (MaRIE) which will be used to discover and design the advanced materials needed to meet 21st century national security and energy security challenges. MaRIE will provide the tools scientists need to develop next-generation materials that will perform predictably and on-demand for currently unattainable lifetimes in extreme environments. The MaRIE facility is based on a high-power upgrade to the existing LANSCE proton linac, a new electron linac and associated X-ray FEL to provide additional probe beams, and new experimental areas. A conceptual description of this new facility and its requirements will be presented.