SPIRAL1: a versatile user facility

Abstract

SPIRAL1 Upgrade hardware is now almost completed. The FEBIAD 1+ source has been tested for the production of new radioactive isotopes, the SPIRAL1 Charge Breeder (SP1 CB) is in place reproducing nearly the charge breeding efficiencies measured at LPSC laboratory and the infrastructure is operational. The commissioning phase started in the first semester of 2017. It has consisted of a stepwise process to test the upgrade of the SPIRAL1 facility from simple validation (operation of SP1 CB as a stand-alone source) up to the production of the first 1+/N+ Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) with the 37K9+ ion. This contribution will summarize the different steps completed successfully and especially the measurements performed to validate each of the commissioning stages. These include e.g. ionization efficiency measurements for CB; beam line optics for 1+/N+ and charge breeding tuning. The remaining effort required to ensure the reliability of the complete system for routine RIB operation is also presented. A section will be dedicated to the coupling of SP1 CB to the CIME cyclotron, leading to the delivery of stable beams at unprecedented energies at GANIL.