Production of low- and high-energy radioactive-ion beams by fragmentation

The physics opportunities made possible by beams of rare isotopes are among the richest available in nuclear science. The rare-isotope accelerator (RIA) now under development is an innovative accelerator that will define the state of the art for all such facilities. A novel aspect of the RIA project is the conversion of the most intense high-energy heavy-ion beams into both fast and reaccelerated exotic beams. Along with target fragmentation in next-generation high-power TSOL targets, RIA will use projectile fragmentation in a high-energy separator/gas-filled ion collector system to provide an extensive range of thermalized ions for reacceleration. In addition, a second high-energy separator will provide the same or larger range of ions for high-energy experiments. A brief overview of the RIA accelerator concept, the layout of the facility, and production techniques will be given along with information on the present R&D efforts in gaseous-ion collection.