The SPES project: a second generation ISOL facility

Abstract SPES is an INFN project to develop a Radioactive Ion Beam facility as an intermediate step toward EURISOL, the next generation European ISOL facility. The facility will be installed at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro where the superconductive linac ALPI will reaccelerate the exotic beams at energies larger than 10 AMeV. Neutron-rich radioactive beams will be produced by proton-induced Uranium fission at an expected in-target fission rate of 1013 fissions per second. As proton driver, a 70 MeV cyclotron with a total current of 0.750 mA shared on two exit ports will be installed. The key feature of SPES is to provide high intensity and high-quality beams of neutron-rich nuclei to perform forefront research in nuclear physics as well as to develop and interdisciplinary research center based on the cyclotron proton beam. Neutron production at a rate of 1014 n/s is expected using the proton beam on thick target. The status of the project and the layout of the neutron facility will be presented. Two facilities can be operated at the same time, with a capability of 5000 h per year each. The ISOL facility will use 0.2 mA to reach the goal of 1013 fissions per second and more than 0.5 mA will be available for applied physics applications, mainly neutron beam and medical isotopes production

ANEM: A rotating composite target to produce an atmospheric-like neutron beam at the LNL SPES facility

A fast neutron (E> MeV) irradiation facility is under development at the 70 MeV SPES proton cyclotron at LNL (Legnaro, Italy) to investigate neutron-induced Single Event Effects (SEE) in microelectronic devices and systems. After an overview on neutron-induced SEE in electronics, we report on the progress in the design of ANEM (Atmospheric Neutron EMulator), a water-cooled rotating target made of Be and W to produce neutrons with an energy spectrum similar to that of neutrons produced by cosmic rays at sea-level. In ANEM, the protons from the cyclotron alternatively impinge on two circular sectors of Be and W of different areas; the effective neutron spectrum is a weighted combination of the spectra from the two sectors. In this contribution, we present the results of thermal-mechanical Finite Element Analysis (ANSYS) calculations of the performance of the ANEM prototype. The calculations at this stage indicate that ANEM can deliver fast neutrons with an atmospheric-like energy spectrum and with an integral flux [Formula: see text](1-70 MeV) [Formula: see text]107 n cm[Formula: see text]s[Formula: see text] that is 3×109 more intense than the natural one at sea-level: a very competitive flux for SEE testing

FLUKA Monte Carlo calculations for the design of the NEPIR fast neutron facility at LNL

The NEPIR (NEutron and Proton IRradiation) project foresees the construction of a fast neutron (En > 1 MeV) irradiation facility at the SPES cyclotron of the INFN Legnaro National Laboratory. The initial configuration of the facility (NEPIR-0) is financed, in an advanced state of design, and construction will start soon. NEPIR-0 will use a relatively simple low power neutron production beryllium target placed inside the existing shield wall that separates the cyclotron hall from the experimental hall. The facility will be immediately used to test microelectronic components and devices and neutron shielding materials. In the final configuration (NEPIR-1) the capability of the facility will be significantly extended by adding an independent target bunker, two new specialized targets (one of which is high power) and a high power beam dump. In this work, the FLUKA Monte Carlo code is used to study the final NEPIR-1 configuration, in particular the propagation, shielding and absorption of the neutrons generated by the new targets and the beam dump. The code is used to evaluate the activation of the air in the experimental hall and the residual dose due to the activation of the targets and surrounding materials. The methods used are then applied to study the imminent initial configuration of NEPIR, in particular the activation of the Be target, the air and the concrete walls of the experimental hall

Perspectives of Nuclear Physics in Europe: NuPECC Long Range Plan 2010

The goal of this European Science Foundation Forward Look into the future of Nuclear Physics is to bring together the entire Nuclear Physics community in Europe to formulate a coherent plan of the best way to develop the field in the coming decade and beyond.<p></p> The primary aim of Nuclear Physics is to understand the origin, evolution, structure and phases of strongly interacting matter, which constitutes nearly 100% of the visible matter in the universe. This is an immensely important and challenging task that requires the concerted effort of scientists working in both theory and experiment, funding agencies, politicians and the public.<p></p> Nuclear Physics projects are often “big science”, which implies large investments and long lead times. They need careful forward planning and strong support from policy makers. This Forward Look provides an excellent tool to achieve this. It represents the outcome of detailed scrutiny by Europe’s leading experts and will help focus the views of the scientific community on the most promising directions in the field and create the basis for funding agencies to provide adequate support.<p></p> The current NuPECC Long Range Plan 2010 “Perspectives of Nuclear Physics in Europe” resulted from consultation with close to 6 000 scientists and engineers over a period of approximately one year. Its detailed recommendations are presented on the following pages. For the interested public, a short summary brochure has been produced to accompany the Forward Look.<p></p&gt

The Phase 0 of the NEPIR project at LNL

NEPIR (Neutron and Proton Irradiation facility) is the project of a new irradiation facility at INFN Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL). The facility will exploit the LNL 35-70 MeV high current proton cyclotron of the SPES complex, to feed two different compact neutron sources in order to generate high flux neutron beams with different energy spectra: quasi-monoenergetic neutron beams and atmospheric-like neutrons. This contribution focuses on the first stage of the construction of the facility: the NEPIR Phase 0, financed and in an advanced design phase. It will use a Be neutron production target capable of delivering up to ∼ 2 × 106 n cm−2 s −1

Novel Techniques for Constraining Neutron-Capture Rates Relevant for r-Process Heavy-Element Nucleosynthesis

The rapid-neutron capture process ($r$ process) is identified as the producer of about 50\% of elements heavier than iron. This process requires an astrophysical environment with an extremely high neutron flux over a short amount of time ($\sim$ seconds), creating very neutron-rich nuclei that are subsequently transformed to stable nuclei via $\beta^-$ decay. One key ingredient to large-scale $r$-process reaction networks is radiative neutron-capture ($n,\gamma$) rates, for which there exist virtually no data for extremely neutron-rich nuclei involved in the $r$ process. Due to the current status of nuclear-reaction theory and our poor understanding of basic nuclear properties such as level densities and average $\gamma$-decay strengths, theoretically estimated ($n,\gamma$) rates may vary by orders of magnitude and represent a major source of uncertainty in any nuclear-reaction network calculation of $r$-process abundances. In this review, we discuss new approaches to provide information on neutron-capture cross sections and reaction rates relevant to the $r$ process. In particular, we focus on indirect, experimental techniques to measure radiative neutron-capture rates. While direct measurements are not available at present, but could possibly be realized in the future, the indirect approaches present a first step towards constraining neutron-capture rates of importance to the $r$ process.Comment: 62 pages, 24 figures, accepted for publication in Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physic

Research opportunities with compact accelerator-driven neutron sources

Since the discovery of the neutron in 1934 neutron beams have been used in a very broad range of applications, As an aging fleet of nuclear reactor sources is retired the use of compact accelerator–driven neutron sources (CANS) are becoming more prevalent. CANS are playing a significant and expanding role in research and development in science and engineering, as well as in education and training. In the realm of multidisciplinary applications, CANS offer opportunities over a wide range of technical utilization, from interrogation of civil structures to medical therapy to cultural heritage study. This paper aims to provide the first comprehensive overview of the history, current status of operation, and ongoing development of CANS worldwide. The basic physics and engineering regarding neutron production by accelerators, target-moderator systems, and beam line instrumentation are introduced, followed by an extensive discussion of various evolving applications currently exploited at CANS

The fast neutron and proton irradiation facility at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratory

The availability at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratory of two new accelerator systems, the 70 MeV cyclotron of the SPES project and the 5 MeV RFQ developed for the TRASCO project, makes it possible to build a suite of neutron sources for a wide spectrum of different applications. This article focuses on the facility at the SPES cyclotron (NEPIR), which is in an advanced design phase. NEPIR will deliver quasi mono-energetic neutrons for multi-disciplinary applications and a complementary fast (En > 1 MeV) neutron field with a continuous energy (atmospheric-like) spectrum for studying neutron-induced effects on materials, e.g., single event effects in electronics

Final report of the EURISOL Design Study (2005-2009) A Design Study for a European Isotope-Separation-On-Line Radioactive Ion Beam Facility

European Commission Contract N°515768 RIDS Published by GANI