Radioactive ion beam physics at the cyclotron research centre Louvain-la-Neuve

Abstract

Abstract.The first beam of post-accelerated radioactive ions was realized in 1989 at the Louvainla-Neuve research facility. The method employed two coupled cyclotrons to produce, separate and re-accelerate the species of interest. Several technological challenges were solved in the process, to obtain pure and intense beams for use in nuclear physics research. Similarly, new techniques were developed and refined for the measurement of the nuclear reactions induced by the radioactive beams. The available energy range made the facility particularly suited for nuclear astrophysics studies, and important results were obtained in the determination of stellar reaction rates using beams of 7 Be, 13 N, 18 F, 18,19 Ne. A beam of 6 He ions was extensively used in studies of the nuclear structure (halos, molecular states) and dynamics (the reaction process at energies around the potential barrier).

Physics with REX-ISOLDE: from experiment to facility

“…Experiments that are mainly motivated by astrophysics questions are a small component of the physics program at REX-ISOLDE compared to other facilities presented in this volume [4,95,109]. Some of the advancements of our knowledge on nuclear structure mentioned above will of course also improve the reliability of nuclear astrophysics calculations, see also [110].…”

“…The release of gallium isotopes is much faster compared to nickel therefore by setting proper beam gates or filtering the data in the off-line analysis the desired data can be obtained (see figure 1 of [21] and sect. 4…”

“…The main aim of PRIMA was to study reactions of light nuclei of astrophysical relevance at energies up to about 1.4 MeV/u, similar to what was being implemented at the time in Louvain-la-Neuve [4]. The rapid progress in the field quickly made PRIMA obsolete and led to discussions in larger circles, at first with a UK community around the ISIS facility at Rutherford Appelton Laboratory [5].…”

Performance of a high repetition pulse rate laser system for in-gas-jet laser ionization studies with the Leuven laser ion source @ LISOL

“…The Leuven Isotope Separator On-Line (LISOL) facility at the Cyclotron Research Center (CRC) Louvain-la-Neuve [1] produces purified rare ion beams using resonant laser ionization of reaction products thermalized in a buffer-gas cell [2,3]. After almost two decades of operation, high-purity radioactive ion beams of more than 15 different elements have been obtained exploiting various production mechanisms including light-and heavy-fusion evaporation reactions [4,5], proton-induced fission [6], and the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf [7].…”

The8Li +2H reaction studied in inverse kinematics at 3.15 MeV/nucleon using the REX-ISOLDE post-accelerator

“…Thus, there are many arguments to try to enlarge the scope of transfer reactions also to nuclei far from stability, to gain insight into the structural changes at and beyond the drip lines. Consequently, transfer reaction experiments are performed at the majority of existing facilities that have access to low-energy radioactive ion beams (see, e.g., [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] and references therein). However, the combination of having to utilize low-intensity radioactive beams in inverse kinematics geometry with the loosely bound states involved complicates both the experiment and the interpretation.…”