NuPECC Brussels 2009

The Cyclotron Research Centre

of Louvain-la-Neuve:

Present status

Marc Loiselet

UCL, Centre de Recherches du Cyclotron

Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

NuPECC Brussels 2009

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Since 2007, a new agreement between UCL and the national funding agency (IISN) has been signed.

New UCL research lines around the cyclotrons

High energy physics, in collaboration with the microelectronic department, -study of the radiation hardness of semiconductor detectors used in LHC-development of radiation hard components

High energy physics / nuclear physicsUse of radioactive beams for the neutrino beams

(European collaboration : Beta-beams)

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Applied research

o Radiobiology

o Material department: development of new material

based on track etched membranes second generation membrane

NuPECC Brussels 2009

What about the future of the LLN RIB facility?

The nuclear physics program has been stopped:o UCL: no new academic position in nuclear

physics.o EU: end of the EURONS program

November 2008: last radioactive beam ?

~720 h of RIBs in 2008

Interest of several EU-groups of RIB users ....

The facility could be restarted IF supported by

external fundings (EU?)...

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Cyclotron lab = technology platform of UCL

Research High energy physics

-radiation hardness

-beta-beams Radiobiology Micro-

Nanotechnology MEMS Second generation

membranes

Services ESA- facilities

Radiation hardness tests

Heavy Ions (HIF) Light Ions (LIF) Neutrons (nIF)

Membranes

NuPECC Brussels 2009

High Energy Physics Research study of the radiation hardness of semiconductor

detectors used in LHC innermost layers of CMS detector: silicon

microstips detector

after 10 years of LHC operation: 1014

neutr/cm²(1Mev/equiv.)

caracterisation of the detector behaviour

LHC upgrade: * 10 !

development of radiation hard components in collaboration with the microelectronic

department of UCL

NuPECC Brussels 2009

LLN irradiation facilities

HIF: heavy ions

LIF*: light ions

Neutrons

facilities

o Mono-energetic

neutrons

o High flux

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Neutron Lines (NIF)

Two lines are available:

Mono Energetic Line

High Flux Line

50 MeV d (10 μA ) on a Be converter

7.3 * 1010 neutrons/cm².s at 9 cm from target

NuPECC Brussels 2009

High energy- nuclear physics: neutrino beams

radioactive ion beams for the production of neutrino beams

Ex: He-6 -> Li-6 + e- + anti-neutrino

Ne-18 -> F-18 + e+ + neutrino

at rest, isotropic emission of neutrinos

at v≈ c, neutrinos emitted in a narrow cone

in the forward direction -> neutrinos beam

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Distinctive feature of the beta-beams:

the neutrino beam only contains a single type of neutrino flavour:

electron-neutrinos (or anti-neutrinos)no muon-neutrinos

Important for neutrino oscillation experiments

NuPECC Brussels 2009

-beam baseline scenario

•PS

•SPS

•ISOL target •& Ion source

•SPL

•Cyclotrons

•Storage ring •and fast •cycling •synchrotron

•Decay

•Ring

•Decay ring

•Brho •= 1500 Tm

•B = 5 T

•L•ss •= 2500 m

• •.•1•

•

•

•18•9

•6•3

•6•2

•e•F

•e•Li•He 6He-> 6Li +e- +

18Ne-> 18F +e+

+ν

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Which radioactive nuclei ?

FP6: EURISOL_Design Study collaboration,

the selected nuclei are: Ne-18 (β+ ,T1/2= 1.7s )

He-6 (β- ,T1/2= 0.8s )

Among the (many) challenges:

bottle neck at the low energy part of the

acceleration chain

how to produce these elements?

how to ionize them ?

GOAL: a few µAp of RIB (at least!)

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Which radioactive nuclei ?

FP7: EURO-NU collaboration,

new idea (C. Rubbia) : a dedicated low energy ring

for the production of B-8 (β+ ,T1/2= 0.8s )

Li-8 (β- ,T1/2= 0.8s )

reaction: Li-6 + He-3 -> B-8 + n

Li-7 + D -> Li-8 + p

B-8 or Li-8 are emitted in a ~10°

cone

Li energy : 20….30 MeV

NuPECC Brussels 2009

Low energy ring for the production of Li-8, B-8

Ex: Li-7 + D-> Li-8 + p

beam: ~25 MeV Li-7

D2 gas jet target (wedge)

collection device for the Li-8 ok , for B-8 …?! “Table top ring”

NuPECC Brussels 2009

UCL participation in EURO-NU: study of the “collection device”

How to extract Li-8 and B-8 from the device?Li-8 : okB-8? chemically reactive element

Experimental study with the cyclotron beams

NuPECC Brussels 2009

2009: 20th anniversary of radioactive beams (post-accelerated)

1989, June 21: first (post-accelerated) beam

13N (T1/2)= 10 min~106 pps