SPIRAL2 at GANIL: Status and Perspectives

摘要

To pursue the investigation of a new territory of nuclei with extreme N/Z called “terra incognita” several projects, all aiming at the increase by several orders of magnitude of the RIB intensities are now under discussions worldwide. In Europe, two major new projects have been approved recently FAIR@GSI using the so-called “in-flight” method and SPIRAL2@GANIL, based on the ISOL method. Both projects were selected in the European Strategic Roadmap For research Infrastructures (ESFRI). The main goal of SPIRAL2 is clearly to extend our knowledge of the limit of existence and the structure of nuclei deeply in the medium and heavy mass region (A = 60 to 140) which is to day an almost unexplored continent. SPIRAL 2 is based on a high power, CW, superconducting driver LINAC, delivering 5 mA of deuteron beams at 40 MeV (200 KW) directed on a C converter+ Uranium target and producing therefore more 1013 fissions/s. The expected radioactive beams intensities for exotic species in the mass range from A = 60 to A = 140, of the order of 106 to 1010 pps will surpass by two order of magnitude any existing facilities in the world. These unstable atoms will be available at energies between few KeV/n to 15 MeV/n. The same driver will accelerate high intensity (100 μA to 1 mA), heavier ions up to Ar at 14 MeV/n producing also proton rich exotic nuclei. In applied areas SPIRAL2 is considered as a powerful variable energy neutron source, a must to study the impact of nuclear fission and fusion on materials. The intensities of these unstable species are excellent opportunities for new tracers and diagnostics either for solid state, material or for radiobiological science and medicine. The “Go” decision has been taken in May 2005. The investments and personnel costs amount to 190 M, for the construction period 2006–2012. Construction of the SPIRAL2 facility is shared by ten French laboratories and a network of international partners. Under the 7FP program of European Union called “Preparatory phase for the construction of new facilities “, the SPIRAL2 project has been granted a budget of about 4M to build up an international consortium around this new venture. The status of the construction of SPIRAL2 accelerator and technical R&D programs for physics instrumentation (detectors, spectrometers) in collaboration with EU and International partners will be presented.