 | The TRIUMF Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) facility uses the isotope separation on-line (ISOL) technique to produce rare-isotope beams (RIB). The ISOL system consists of a primary production beam, a target/ion source, a mass separator, and beam transport system. The rare isotopes produced during the interaction of the proton beam with the target nucleus are stopped in the bulk of the target material. They diffuse inside the target material matrix to the surface of the grain and then effuse to the ion source where they are ionized to form an ion beam that can be separated by mass and then guided to the experimental facilities. With support approved by independent peer-review processes, scientists can use detectors and facilities at TRIUMF to analyze beams at ISAC or they can bring their own. The full suite of experimental facilities presently available for use at TRIUMF is impressive. The ISAC Science Forum is a regular meeting where experiments are discussed. Read the ISAC Backgrounder here. |
Target and Ion Source Program
The Target and Ion Source group at TRIUMF specializes in the research and development of new types and intensities of isotope beams.
The current spectrum of beams available is described in the ISAC Yields Database and OLIS, the Offline Ion Source.
Yield station, target development, ion sources, and ion source development:
ISAC-I
In the ISAC-I facility, 500 MeV protons at up to 100 μA can be steered onto one of two production targets to produce radioactive isotopes. The isotopes pass through a heated tube to a source where they are ionized, accelerated off the source’s high-voltage platform at up to 60 kV and sent through a mass separator to select the ion beam of choice. The beam is transported in the low-energy beam transport (LEBT) electrostatic beam line and sent via a switchyard to either the low-energy experimental area or to a series of room-temperature accelerating structures to the ISAC-I medium-energy experimental area.
Experimental facilities at ISAC-I include:
ISAC-II
The rare-isotope beams produced in the ISAC-II facility are transported in the low-energy beam transport (LEBT) electrostatic beam line and sent via a switchyard to either the low-energy experimental area or to a series of room-temperature accelerating structures in the ISAC-I medium-energy experimental area. For high-energy delivery, the drift tube linac (DTL) beam is deflected north along an S-bend transfer line to the ISAC-II superconducting linear accelerator (SC-linac) for acceleration above the Coulomb barrier (5-11 MeV/u). TRIUMF began developing superconducting accelerator technology in 2001 and is now a leader in the field with a demonstrated accelerating gradient significantly above other operating facilities.
Experimental facilities at ISAC-II include:
ISAC-I/II
Some experimental facilities can be used at either of the two experimental halls: