PRODUCTION

The target-source system

The target-source system includes a converter, a target and a source. It produces exotic nuclei through different reactions between a beam produced by the LINAC, and different types of target: fission, fusion-evaporation, and transfer. The generated atoms are ionized by the ion source, extracted, and then directed towards the different users.

The preferred method of production of radioactive ion involves the use of a deuteron beam (it is an isotope of hydrogen whose nucleus is composed of one proton and one neutron). The converter used is a Carbon wheel in which the deuterons are broken, releasing protons and neutrons.

The protons are electrically charged, they will interact with atoms of the converter and get trapped there. The neutrons, which have no electric charge, go through the converter without a hitch. They then interact with the nuclei of a target placed in front of the converter. This reaction leads to the production of radioactive atoms.

To accelerate a particle, it must be electrically charged. The atoms produced in the target being electrically neutral, so they should be ionized with an ion source. Different types of ion source will be used, but their operating principle is the same: they transform atoms into ions, snatching an electron to atoms.


After these three steps, the radioactive ion beam is obtained, and can then be studied.