The TRIUMF Newsletter News from Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics DIRECTOR’S NOTES TRIUMF MAGNETS INSTALLED AT LHC very year, TRIUMF has a three-month Eperiod where the accelerators and associated infrastructure undergo extensive maintenance and any planned upgrade. The shutdown period is normally the fi rst three months of the calendar year, but this year, since the regulatory license for the ISAC-II accelerator to send a radioactive beam to an experiment was received at the beginning of January, the shutdown period was delayed to the fourth week of January. This enabled a Shown are six of the 52 Canadian twin-aperture quadrupole magnets two-week running period for MAYA, the fi rst installed in one of the straight “collimation” ISAC-II experiment. The experiment involved sections of the Large Hadron Collider the production of 11Li by the 500 MeV proton tunnel at CERN. (Only one of the two beam beam and acceleration of the lithium beam through apertures is visible - at the bottom right.) These magnets were designed and built ISAC-I and ISAC-II accelerator complex before in a collaborative effort amongst CERN, injection into the MAYA apparatus, which had TRIUMF, and Alstom-Canada. been brought to TRIUMF from GANIL in time for this experiment. The ISAC-II accelerator worked Recent developments in the FIBIAD ion source, TRIUMF for the analysis of data, which will soon superbly during the experiment and exciting new and the relocation of the driver lasers for the laser stream from the LHC at CERN. I am pleased to data from the reaction 11Li(p,t) 9Li was obtained. ion source should lead to signifi cant improvement report that the funds to establish this 23M$ data The data is sensitive enough to distinguish between in isotope variety and intensity for RIB experiments hub are now in place. TRIUMF wishes to thank the various models that have been proposed to in the coming year. both the CFI and the BC provincial government describe the neutron halo nature of this exotic The µSR program is a very signifi cant component for generously supporting this important project. nucleus. This experiment is an excellent start of the TRIUMF research portfolio and has remained The lead university for the CFI component is SFU of ISAC-II operations, and I would like to pay a competitive over the years due to continuing together with nine other collaborating universities. special tribute to Bob Laxdal and his team for their innovation of experimental technologies; the Canada, through TRIUMF, is making a work in bringing the fi rst phase of the ISAC-II recent investigations of microscopic behaviour of signifi cant contribution to the T2K experiment at accelerator to such a successful conclusion. materials under high pressure is a good illustration. J-PARC. These activities heavily involve TRIUMF Preparations for the installation of the TIGRESS The quest for continuing improvement received expertise in detector technology and high-powered detector array in the ISAC-II experimental hall are a major boost recently with the announcement of targets. TRIUMF has a busy time ahead to meet its well advanced; the fi rst experiment is scheduled a major CFI award to signifi cantly enhance the commitments by Spring 2009. for this summer. A recent Canada Foundation for experimental capabilities of one of the muon beam TRIUMF recently applied to the CNSC for Innovation (CFI) award to construct a neutron lines. This, together with the current upgrades renewal of its operating license for another fi ve wall for ISAC-II experiments is most welcome on another muon beam line, should provide the years from April 2007. I am pleased to report the news; congratulations to the University of Guelph basis for µSR innovation for several years to license was duly awarded. for this award! The precision isotope mass come. Simon Fraser University (SFU) is the lead As articles in this newsletter show, TRIUMF’s measuring system, TITAN, is now entering its fi nal university for this CFI award, but fi fteen other technology transfer and outreach programs commissioning phase with fi rst measurements Canadian universities are also associated with it. continue to fl ourish with innovative new ideas. scheduled for this summer. The data taking phase of the TWIST experiment The public perception of TRIUMF is often through - a precision measurement of the muon decay such activities so their success is important. WHAT’S INSIDE parameters - will be completed this year; the TRIUMF’s current funding cycle goes to 2010, expectation is that all the goals of this challenging so the laboratory has started planning for the years Facility Developments 2-3 ISAC-II Gets Neutron Wall experiment will be achieved. 2010 to 2015. Groups of people have been meeting T2K Scintillator Bars The use of radioisotopes produced at TRIUMF since last summer to make proposals for how the CFI Awards Funds for Muon Beamline continues to be of great value across a range of lab should develop over that period in different ResearchDevelopments 4-5 science areas. This is a time for refl ection and Muonium Chemistry at TRIUMF scientifi c disciplines, with the life sciences being a Research Era Begins at ISAC-II dominant component. This excellent program has forward vision, and it is in this vein that I warmly TRIUMF Scientist Wins NSERC Award been led for many years by Dr. Tom Ruth. Since welcome TRIUMF’s new director Nigel Lockyer. Applied Technology 6 Tom will retire soon, we are actively seeking a My parting wish is for Nigel and TRIUMF to Outreach and User News 7 fl ourish for many years to come.• Back Page 8 person with a similar vision and commitment to IUPAP Medal Program follow him. Alan Shotter, TRIUMF Director Board Chair Message TRIUMF has campaigned for some time Upcoming Dates For more information on TRIUMF Projects, visit the TRIUMF website to establish the Canadian TIER 1 data hub at at: http://www.triumf.info VOL 5 NO. 1 APR 2007 AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.TRIUMF.INFO/PUBLIC/NEWS/NEWSLETTERS.PHP PAGE 1 ISAC-II GETS NEUTRON WALL VIA CFI GRANT 12000+ SCINTILLATOR uture nuclear physics research will be will result in a world-leading and unique he strong ties which TRIUMF has Fcentered on exploring nuclei that are device. An array of neutron detectors, using Tforged with local industry were evident located far from the stability line, especially a liquid scintillator based on a deuterated in the successful production of more than in neutron-rich regions. It is for this reason hydrocarbon, will be built. While deuterated 12000 plastic scintillator bars in a 3-week that new radioactive-ion beam facilities have scintillators are not new, never before has an run at the Surrey factory of Celco Plastics been developed, and new ones are being array of detectors based on this technology Ltd in November, 2006. Celco specializes planned. These facilities offer a unique been developed. in plastic extrusion technology: extrusion opportunity for the study of subatomic Deuterated scintillators offer the is a manufacturing process in which a matter to address fundamental questions in possibility of determining the initial neutron material, often plastic, is melted and drawn nuclear science, such as what is the nature energy by both a pulse-height measurement through a die in a continuous length, which of nuclear matter, what are the origins of and time of fl ight (TOF). A distinct peak is then cut into pieces to create objects of the elements observed in the universe, is observed in the pulse height spectrum a required shape and cross section. Plastic 3/2 and what are the connections amongst the that increases as En . Combined with the weather stripping is a common application of fundamental forces in nature. TOF, it will be possible to discriminate extrusion technology. When TRIUMF needed The ISAC and ISAC-II facilities at between true source multiple neutron to cheaply manufacture more than 10000 TRIUMF, the SPIRAL facility at GANIL in events from lower multiplicity events that scintillator bars, (each bar having a length on France, and the RIKEN facility in Japan undergo multiple scattering in the neutron 2m and a square 1cm by 1cm cross-section are all examples of second-generation detectors. This will enable us to determine with a central hole), for the T2K neutrino radioactive-ion beam facilities that represent the neutron multiplicity more effi ciently, project, it was immediately clear that casting major advancements in technology to and also perform direct measurements on or machining the bars was not practicable. produce and deliver radioactive beams neutron events in adjacent detectors – rarely By joining forces with Celco, employing for experiments. Congruent to the need achievable with past arrays of neutron a patented formula from another research to continually develop production and detectors. Applications of this will be in laboratory, and building on the pioneering accelerator technology in order to boost fusion evaporation experiments, allowing us experience of the KOPIO project at TRIUMF, radioactive-beam intensity, is the need to probe neutron-rich nuclei to high angular techniques were developed which enabled to develop detector capabilities and momentum, and reaction studies, especially the manufacturing to be carried out by local sensitivities. Many radioactive-beam those involving neutron-halo nuclei. industry for signifi cantly less cost. facilities have concentrated on development The neutron detector array, DESCANT The process involves heating the plastic of new technologies for gamma-ray and (DEuterated SCintillator Array for Neutron (polystyrene with additional fl uors to make it charged-particle detection in order to boost Tagging), would be used primarily for scintillate when traversed by a charged the sensitivity to signatures of new physics.