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The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) is in its final construction stage next to the campus of the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung Helmholtzzentrum for heavy-ion research in Darmstadt, Germany. Once it starts its operation, it will be the main nuclear physics research facility in many basic sciences and their applications in Europe for the coming decades. Owing to the ability of the new fragment separator, Super-FRagment Separator, to produce high-intensity radioactive ion beams in the energy range up to about 2 GeV/nucleon, these can be used in various nuclear reactions. This opens a unique opportunity for various nuclear structure studies across a range of fields and scales: from low-energy physics via the investigation of multi-neutron systems and halos to high-density nuclear matter and the equation of state, following heavy-ion collisions, fission and study of short-range correlations in nuclei and hypernuclei. The newly developed reactions with relativistic radioactive beams (R3B) set up at FAIR would be the most suitable and versatile for such studies. An overview of highlighted physics cases foreseen at R3B is given, along with possible future opportunities, at FAIR. This article is part of the theme issue 'The liminal position of Nuclear Physics: from hadrons to neutron stars'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades many accelerator facilities have been built in order to produce radioactive nuclei. Among the falcility under construction, SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is the Italian ISOL (Isotope Separation On Line) facility in the installation phase in these years in the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The innovative aspect of this facility is that the radioactive beam produced by fission induced by the proton beam, produced by a high power cyclotron, interact with a multi-disks uranium carbide target. The formed RIB will be sent directly to the low energy experimental area and, afterwards, to the post-acceleration complex. Currently the installation program concerning the SPES RIB source provides the set-up of the apparatus around the production bunker. The main objective of SPES project is to provide, in the next years, the first low-energy radioactive beams for beta decay experiments using the b-DS (beta Decay Station) set-up and for radiopharmaceutical applications by means of the IRIS (ISOLPHARM Radioactive Implantation Station) apparatus. In this work, all the specific issues related to the SPES RIB and the Low Energy beam lines will be reported. The main RIB systems, such as ion source systems, target-handling devices and the installation of low energy transport line, will be presented in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detailed study of radioactive nuclei has resulted in opportunities for addressing many open questions in low-energy nuclear physics. For over three decades, the TwinSol separator at the University of Notre Dame has produced high-quality in-flight radioactive beams at low-energy for light isotopes that have been used in experiments aimed at nuclear structure, astrophysics, and fundamental symmetries studies. We have recently upgraded the TwinSol separator by adding additional elements: a dipole magnet, and a third solenoid. This new TriSol separator will improve the quality and purity of future radioactive beams. This improvement will enable the use of heavier beams and address beam contamination that has hindered past experiments. The current status of TriSol and its science program will be presented along with the role the TriSol program plays in the current landscape of nuclear physics user facilities. The TriSol program includes plans for studies of 11C(p , p)11C reaction for investigating the nature of the first stars, 14O(α , p)17F and its influence on reaction networks in X-ray bursts, the measurement of fusion reactions on Ne isotopes important for pycnonuclear reactions, precision half-life measurements for fundamental symmetries studies, and the use of TriSol as a magnetic spectrometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is planned to install the heavy-ion, low-energy ring TSR, currently at the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, at the HIE-ISOLDE facility in CERN, Geneva. Such a facility will provide a capability for experiments with stored, cooled secondary beams that is rich and varied, spanning from studies of nuclear ground-state properties and reaction studies of astrophysical relevance, to investigations with highly-charged ions and pure isomeric beams. In addition to experiments performed using beams recirculating within the ring, the cooled beams can be extracted and exploited by external spectrometers for high-precision measurements. The capabilities of the ring facility as well as some physics cases will be presented, together with a brief report on the status of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The upcoming FAIR facility in Darmstadt, Germany, will produce intense high energy beams of exotic nuclei, which will be used to explore the properties of new regions of the chart of nuclides of key importance for both nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics. In the EXL project, heavy ion beams are first cooled in the New Experimental Storage Ring (NESR) and then used to induce reactions on windowless thin Hydrogen, Deuterium and Helium gas targets in the ring. High luminosities can be achieved because of the recirculation of the beam with a frequency of about 1 MHz. The EXL system will be ideal for high resolution reaction studies at low momentum transfer. The design of the detector system considered is universal in the sense that it should allow the use of a large variety of nuclear reactions, addressing numerous physics questions. The detector system provides the capability of fully exclusive kinematical measurements, with target recoil detectors, fast ejectile forward detectors and an in-ring heavy-ion spectrometer. The physics case and detector design considerations for EXL along with tests experiments performed at KVI and GSI, paving the way to the full EXL detection system, are presented in this contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ISOLDE charge breeder and post-accelerator REX has been operational for more than 5 years and is now routinely delivering beams to nuclear physics experiments. An overview of the present performances of the machine and a number of recent developments and tests of beam purification techniques are presented in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The collective multipole response of neutron-proton asymmetric nuclei has been investigated experimentally so far mainly utilizing the heavy-ion induced electromagnetic excitation. The experimental findings concerning the dipole strength in neutron-rich nuclei are summarized and a brief outlook is given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An overview of recent developments and results in nuclear physics research and related areas driven by the ISOL method is given. The emphasis of the article is on the last few years following the previous inpc2004 conference held three years ago in Sweden. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Californium Rare Ion Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) for the ATLAS facility is under construction. The facility will use 252Cf fission fragments thermalized and collected into a low-energy particle beam by a helium gas catcher. In order to reaccelerate these beams an existing ATLAS ECR ion source is being reconfigured as a charge breeder source. A 1Ci 252Cf source will provide sufficient yield to deliver beams of up to ∼106 far-from-stability ions per second on target. The facility design, expected performance and the project status will be presented in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Theoretical predictions and experimental discoveries for neutron-rich, short-lived nuclei far from stability indicate that the familiar concept of nucleonic shell structure should be considered as less robust than previously thought. The notion of single-particle motion in exotic nuclei is reviewed with a particular focus on three aspects: (i) variations of nuclear mean field with neutron excess due to tensor interactions; (ii) importance of many-body correlations; and (iii) influence of open channels on properties of weakly bound and unbound nuclear states. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The accelerator complex FAIR (International Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) will provide a unique combination of accelerators and storage rings for a multidisciplinary scientific program. The FAIR accelerator complex constitutes a substantial extension of the present GSI systems and will use the existing accelerators after several upgrades as an injector. This new facility comprises as an integral part a next-generation rare-isotope beam facility based on the production and separation of secondary beams produced by fragmentation or fission of energetic high-intensity primary ion beams. An advanced experimental program including new and unique concepts promises a new quality in investigations of nuclei far away from stability. A brief overview on the facility is presented with emphasis on the radioactive-beam facility. The experimental program and its related instrumentation is discussed briefly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANCs) have proven to be useful for determining reaction rates of interest in nuclear astrophysics. ANCs, which provide the normalization of the tail of the overlap function, determine S factors for direct capture reactions at astrophysical energies. During the past eight years, many ANCs have been measured by peripheral transfer reactions. Following an introduction to ANCs, recent experiments are briefly described. The astrophysical implications of some of these measurements are discussed and a future outlook for ANC measurements with radioactive beams is given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The use of radioactive beams opens a new frontier for fusion studies. The coupling to the continuum can be explored with very loosely bound nuclei. Experiments were performed with beams of nuclei at or near the proton and neutron drip-lines to measure fusion and associated reactions in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. In addition, the fusion yield is predicted to be enhanced in reactions involving very neutron-rich unstable nuclei. Experimental measurements were carried out to investigate if it is feasible to use such beams to produce new heavy elements. The current status of these experimental activities is given in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projectile fragmentation and fission of relativistic heavy ions has developed in recent years as a successful tool for nuclear structure research. High sensitivity and fast in-flight separation allowed access to the limits of nuclear stability. Cocktail beams allow systematic studies of a large number neighboring nuclides.This contribution will concentrate on direct mass measurements in a heavy-ion storage ring. Large areas of the nuclear chart have been mapped to check theoretical predictions and to investigate structure changes far off stability. The storage of atomic nuclei fully stripped or as few-electron systems allows one to study them under interstellar conditions; specific decay modes can be switched off.The new GSI project of a new synchrotron facility with new instrumentation will help to extend our knowledge far into uncharted regions. The unique characteristics are high energies up to 1 A GeV for all ions up to uranium, increased beam intensity, and a storage-ring system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Experimental studies of light dripline nuclei are reviewed. Progress in the production of very short lived nuclei and the development of radioactive nuclear beams has given this field the necessary tools for detailed studies of the most exotic nuclei. A well-known feature for some of the light dripline nuclei is that under certain circumstances they may form a neutron or a proton halo with a dilute mass distribution extending far outside the core of the nucleus. The first observation of halo states was made in the middle of the 1980s and it generated an interest in dripline physics, both experimentally and theoretically, that has gone far beyond the study of halo states. The experimental results for halo states are starting to give a fairly complete understanding of their structure in many cases. The data include masses, spins, moments, reaction data over a wide energy range and beta-decays. There are two main classes of halo state: the two-body halos with one nucleon surrounding the core, like the one-neutron halos 11Be and 19C and the one-proton halo 8B; and the Borromean three-body halos with two valence nucleons around the core, the key examples being 6He, 11Li and 14Be. Experimental information about systems lying just outside the dripline play an important rôle in understanding the structure of the halo states, examples being 10Li and 13Be, which form two-body subsystems of 11Li and 14Be, respectively. Unbound resonance states that correspond to exotic unbound quantum systems like 5H, 7H and 9He have been identified. There are continuum states existing above the particle separation threshold as well as spectra indicating cluster or molecular structure. The traditional magic numbers valid for more stable nuclei have been found to disappear and be replaced with new ones in the dripline regions. The beta-decays in these regions may give access to halos in excited states and the associated beta-delayed particle decay modes provide information about coupling to the continuum.After a short historical overview, examples on the most recent experimental results from this rapidly growing field of nuclear physics will be given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

At the Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut a new facility (TRIμP) is under development which aims to investigate fundamental interactions using radioactive ions. A spectrum of radioactive isotopes will be produced in inverse-kinematics and fragmentation reactions using heavy-ion beams from the superconducting cyclotron AGOR. The reaction products will be separated from the primary beam in a dual-mode recoil and fragment separator. The beam of isotopes of interest will be transformed into a low-energy, high-quality, bunched beam and, after neutralization, stored in an atom trap. The emphasis will be put on studying the origin of parity violation via β–ν angular correlations and the search for permanent electric dipole moments of atoms and nuclei. The facility will be open to outside users; suggestions for collaborations to extend the scientific program are encouraged. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study of reactions induced by the SPIRAL beams at GANIL requires new techniques: the low intensity of secondary beams implies the need of a very high efficiency detection system; the study of nearly or completely unknown nuclei, over a wide range of masses and energies, needs a very efficient method for attributing a reaction product to a nucleus. The variable mode high acceptance spectrometer VAMOS is being designed and built especially for this purpose. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In 2001 the linear accelerator of the Radioactive beam EXperiment (REX-ISOLDE) delivered for the first time accelerated radioactive ion beams, at a beam energy of 2 MeV/u. REX-ISOLDE uses the method of charge-state breeding, in order to enhance the charge state of the ions before injection into the LINAC. Radioactive singly-charged ions from the on-line mass separator ISOLDE are first accumulated in a Penning trap, then charge bred to an A/q<4.5 in an electron beam ion source (EBIS) and finally accelerated in a LINAC from 5 keV/u to energies between 0.8 and 2.2 MeV/u. Dedicated measurements with REXTRAP, the transfer line and the EBIS have been carried out in conjunction with the first commissioning of the accelerator. Thus the properties of the different elements could be determined for further optimization of the system. In two test beam times in 2001 stable and radioactive Na isotopes (23Na–26Na) have been accelerated and transmitted to a preliminary target station. There 58Ni- and 9Be- and 2H-targets have been used to study exited states via Coulomb excitation and neutron transfer reactions. One MINIBALL triple cluster detector was used together with a double sided silicon strip detector to detect scattered particles in coincidence with γ-rays. The aim was to study the operation of the detector under realistic conditions with γ-background from the β-decay of the radioactive ions and from the cavities. Recently for efficient detection eight tripple Ge-detectors of MINIBALL and a double sided silicon strip detector have been installed. We will present the first results obtained in the commissioning experiments and will give an overview of realistic beam parameters for future experiments to be started in the spring 2002. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Encore active target detector is a Multi Sampling Ionization Chamber developed at Florida State University (FSU). Encore has been successfully used to measure fusion reactions with CH 4 gas as well as (α ,p) and (α ,n) reactions using helium gas in the detector. The portability, self-normalizing, high-efficiency, and versatility of the Encore detector makes it ideal for measurements with low-intensity radioactive beams. This paper provides details on its development, operation, and analysis procedure. It also presents the results of benchmark experiments and comparison with existing data and calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) project at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) is a novel Active Target designed to study nuclear reactions induced by low-intensity exotic beams. The AT-TPC acts as a tracking medium and target at the same time, providing excellent angular (1 °) and energy resolution (3% FWHM) and high luminosity. The AT-TPC offers a broad range of applications within the low-energy nuclear physics domain. Resonant scattering and transfer reactions are typically performed with Active Targets using beams with energies spanning from 1 to 10 A MeV and with intensities as low as 100 pps. The AT-TPC is also a promising tool for experiments where the observables of interest require higher beam energies (above 100 A MeV). In particular, inelastic scattering reactions on light targets, where the recoil particle has a very low kinetic energy (less than 1 MeV), can be performed with such a device. In this work, we discuss aspects of the AT-TPC experimental program, focusing on experiments that leverage the outstanding capabilities this detector offers. In addition, we introduce a conceptual design for a new Time Projection Chamber detector for specific measurements of reactions using special gases as targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]