Status of the ion sources developments for the Spiral2 project at GANIL

The SPIRAL 2 facility is now under construction and will deliver either stable or radioactive ion beams. First tests of nickel beam production have been performed at GANIL with a new version of the large capacity oven, and a calcium beam has been produced on the heavy ion low energy beam transport line of SPIRAL 2, installed at LPSC Grenoble. For the production of radioactive beams, several target∕ion-source systems (TISSs) are under development at GANIL as the 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source, the surface ionization source, and the oven prototype for heating the uranium carbide target up to 2000 °C. The existing test bench has been upgraded for these developments and a new one, dedicated for the validation of the TISS before mounting in the production module, is under design. Results and current status of these activities are presented.

Roadmap for the design of a superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source for Spiral2

A review of today achieved A∕Q = 3 heavy ions beams is proposed. The daily operation A∕Q = 3 ion beam intensities expected at Spiral2 are at the limit or above best record 3rd generation electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) intensities. The necessity to build a new fully superconducting to fulfill these requirements is outlined. A discussion on the volume of the future source is proposed and the minimum value of 12 liters is derived. An analysis of the x-ray absorption superconducting ECRIS is presented based on VENUS experimental data and geometry. This study underlines the necessity to include a complete x-ray study at the time of source conception. The specifications foreseen for the new ECRIS are presented, followed with the roadmap for the design.

Multigan®: first experimental results

A new design of a multicharged ion source based on the MONO1000 ECRIS has been presented at the last ECR ion source (ECRIS) Workshop 2010. [L. Maunoury et al., in Proceedings of the XIXth International Workshop on ECR Ion Sources, Grenoble, France, 23-26 August 2010] This source has not only two opening at both ends but also a large space in the middle of the source enabling a direct contact with the ECR plasma. The source has been assembled mechanically and put on a test bench at the Pantechnik company. The primary tests have shown that the plasma ignition occurred at low pressure (10(-6) mbar) and low RF power (10 W). The first experimental results (<Q> = 1.30 for Ar and 1.85 for Xe) demonstrated the potential of this ion source in production of multicharged ion beams.

Status of the SPIRAL I upgrade at GANIL

The upgrade of the "Système de Production d'Ions Radioactifs en Ligne" phase I (SPIRAL I) installed at the "Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds" (GANIL) situated at Caen, France, is in progress and should be ready by 2014. In parallel, the first part of SPIRAL II facility is currently under construction. The global status of the upgrade is presented: goal, radioactive ion production systems, modification of the production cave and impact of the current safety re-evaluation of GANIL.

Latest developments at GANIL for stable and radioactive ion beam production

In the frame of the SPIRAL II (Système de Production d'Ions Radioactifs Accélérés en Ligne Partie II) project, several developments of stable and radioactive ion production systems have been started up. In parallel, GANIL has the ambition to preserve the existing stable and radioactive beams and also to increase its range by offering new ones. In order to identify the best directions for this development, a new group called GANISOL has been formed. Its preliminary conclusions and the latest developments at GANIL are presented.

Development of a surface ionization source for the SPIRAL 2 project

Development of new radioactive beams, and thus of new target ion sources (TISs) for isotope-separator-on-line production systems are in progress at GANIL for the SPIRAL 2 project. The efficiency and time response measurements of each step in the production process are crucial to predict and maximize the available yields, in particular, for short lived isotopes. This paper presents a method for measuring these quantities that makes use of a stable alkali chopped beam of controlled intensity. This method was applied to surface ionization source test for high efficiency. Results of recent experiments are presented that include ionization efficiency measurements for Cs, Rb, K, Na, and Li with a graphite and rhenium ionizer and dwell time of these alkalis on graphite. The results enabled to design a first surface ionization source prototype which will be installed in the SPIRAL 2 TIS.

Direct 1+ --> N+ conversion of stable alkali ions using an electron cyclotron resonance ion source

The production of radioactive ions using the Isotope Separation On-Line method gives rise, in most cases, to singly charged ions. In order to perform experiments with postaccelerated radioactive ion beams, these ions have to be multicharged. We describe here a new compact design for a charge breeder that will be coupled to the production target of SPIRAL1 at GANIL. We present recent results obtained offline with stable alkali ions (Na, K, Rb, and Cs) on the SIRa test bench. Particularly, 1(+) to N(+) conversion efficiencies and conversion times are presented. Several points have been identified for the improvements of the present performances.