[News-releases] TRIUMF Sets a World Record for Isotope Production

Tim Meyer tmeyer at triumf.ca
Tue Dec 20 08:40:29 PST 2011


News Release | For Immediate Release | December 20, 2011

TRIUMF SETS A WORLD RECORD FOR ISOTOPE PRODUCTION
New Isotopes at Record Intensities Will Drive New Discoveries

(Vancouver, BC) --- In the final few weeks of 2011, TRIUMF’s main cyclotron
and its ISAC facility have set a world record for delivering the most
intense beams onto an actinide (a metal heavier than lead and bismuth)
target for the production of isotopes.  These isotopes have long been sought
after by physicists for their role in exploding stars and for their value in
stretching and testing modern theories with their exotic properties.  This
breakthrough makes TRIUMF the most powerful such facility in the world and
puts Canada at the forefront of research and development of isotopes for
science and medicine. 

Reiner Kruecken, head of TRIUMF’s Science Division, said, “This capability
opens up a whole new world for discovery.  We can now produce isotopes that
have a disproportionately large number of neutrons, and we can produce them
with intensity like nowhere else and use them for precision experiments.
This gives us the edge in understanding how exactly nuclei stick together,
how stellar explosions formed the chemical elements, and which isotopes will
be best suited for the next generation of medical therapies.”

Striking a heavy, metal target with an intense proton beam shatters the
target’s nuclei, producing short-lived isotopes that can be extracted from
the target in near real-time.  These short-lived isotopes are then separated
and purified and sent to experimental areas for study.  Some of these
isotopes decay within just a few milliseconds, so the entire process must
operate like clockwork to be efficient and effective.  

The world record was achieved on Saturday, December 3, when the scientific
team confirmed that 9.8 microamps of proton beam current (about 60 trillion
protons per second) were striking the actinide target material.  Before
then, the world record was held by CERN’s ISOLDE project with a record of
about 2 microamps reached several years ago.  

Lia Merminga, head of TRIUMF’s Accelerator Division that was chiefly
responsible for the technical victory said, “The main cyclotron can operate
at several hundred microamps of current, but what made this feat
extraordinary was the precise level of control and feedback needed to ensure
that the specialized target was pumping out isotopes under optimal
conditions.  This mastery of target and ion-source technology paves the way
for ARIEL to completely transform our isotope capabilities.” 

“When we saw the first francium, rubidium, and other isotopes come rolling
in, what was really exciting was knowing that we were seeing something that
had never before been accomplished,” said Nigel S. Lockyer, director of
TRIUMF.  “It’s not just a new scientific article or a student’s Ph.D.
thesis---it’s a chance to pull back the veil and understand the mysteries of
the universe at a deeper level.”

On a preliminary basis, several experimental teams confirmed that they had
obtained sufficient data to analyze and publish breakthrough results by
summer 2012. The record-setting run ends on Wednesday of this week as the
TRIUMF laboratory moves into its annual season of maintenance, repairs, and
upgrades. 

Merminga added, “This result comes from the hard work of a dedicated team of
professionals working non-stop for several years. We’re very proud of this
accomplishment and eager to deploy this capability in the coming years for
the benefit of researchers in Canada and everywhere.”  

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Timothy I. Meyer, Ph.D.
Head, Strategic Planning & Communications
TRIUMF -- Accelerating Science for Canada |
    Un accélérateur de la démarche scientifique canadienne
4004 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 2A3  CANADA
Tel: 604-222-7674
Fax: 604-222-3791
Cell: 650-464-8955
E-mail: tmeyer at triumf.ca
WWW: http://www.triumf.ca
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