Radioactive beams with the HHIRF accelerators

Abstract

It is pointed out that the two accelerators of the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility (HHIRF) provide a unique opportunity to quickly and economically develop an interim proton-rich, medium-intensity, ISOL-type, RIB (radioactive ion beam) facility. This extension of the HHIRF would provide for research and development until the much larger facility can be realized in the late 1990s. Presently, the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC) serves as an energy booster for heavy ions from the 25-MW tandem accelerator. To produce RIBs, this process could simply be reversed. The tandem accelerator would be injected with heavy ions produced by ORIC. In this case, the two accelerators will be coupled by a thick target, ion source, mass separator, and charge exchange canal, all mounted on a 300-kV high-voltage platform in an existing shielded room. Light ions from ORIC, with an internal ion source, would produce radioactive heavy ions for tandem injection. Moreover, the UNISOR on-line isotope separator allows the timely development of the target-ion source hardware and chemistry. A central feature of this plan is that most of the main components already exist. >