Jean-Luc FLAMBARD

48, Operator and Ion Source Engineer



Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds (GANIL)

CEA-DSM/CNRS-IN2P3


 
 

The little story of GANIL



More than individuals, we are one and the same team




At GANIL [Large National Heavy Ion Accelerator], there are only eighteen of us who have the same operator job. More than individuals, we are one and the same team, organized in shifts, so as to be permanently available and take turns at supporting the physicists. We ensure the proper functioning of the beam, which must meet the needs of scientists, with their successive experiments. We adjust the machine according to their needs. We could be called the "side story of GANIL" since we are here day, night, and week-ends, and work in shifts with our colleagues. I work as an Ion Source Engineer, among those who are at the source of the ion beam. We are indispensable for the proper functioning of the machine, which explains why our team works in shifts. We are just like a family, because we spend more time with our colleagues than with our kids! All we do is "work and work". It’s hard to get away from this amazing machine.

Image copyright: F.CASTEL