Production of intense radioactive ion beams using two accelerators

Abstract

An intense beam (1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{8}$ particles/sec) of radioactive $^{13}\mathrm{N}^{1+}$ ions (half-life: ${\mathit{T}}_{1/2}$=10 min) has been produced and accelerated to 0.65 MeV/nucleon, by coupling two cyclotrons with an electron cyclotron resonance ion source. This is the first time a short-lived radioactive ion beam has been produced by this method, at such an energy and with such a high intensity, a result which opens up a wide field in many applications. The first experiment along these lines will be the measurement of the cross section for the nuclear reaction $^{1}\mathrm{H}$${(}^{13}$N,\ensuremath{\gamma}${)}^{14}$O which is the crucial reaction for the operation of the so-called hot CNO cycle in nuclear astrophysics.