Eur. Phys. J. A (2013) 49: 56
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2013-13056-1

Special Article - Tools for Experiment and Theory

Neutron-rich isotope production using a uranium carbide - carbon nanotubes SPES target prototype

¹⁹⁸⁸⁵ INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Viale dell’Università 2, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
²⁹⁸⁸⁵ Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy
³⁹⁸⁸⁵ Dipartimento di Tecnica e Gestione dei Sistemi Industriali, Università di Padova, Stradella San Nicola 3, 36100, Vicenza, Italy
⁴⁹⁸⁸⁵ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131, Padova, Italy
⁵⁹⁸⁸⁵ Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Università di Padova, Via Gradenigo 6/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
⁶⁹⁸⁸⁵ Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 9, 35131, Padova, Italy
⁷⁹⁸⁸⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, 1408 Circle Drive, TN 37996-1200, Knoxville, USA
⁸⁹⁸⁸⁵ Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, TN 37831, Oak Ridge, USA

^* e-mail: stefano.corradetti@lnl.infn.it

Received: 2 October 2012
Revised: 11 April 2013
Accepted: 22 April 2013
Published online: 14 May 2013

Abstract

The SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) project, under development at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (INFN-LNL), is a new-generation Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) facility for the production of radioactive ion beams by means of the proton-induced fission of uranium. In the framework of the research on the SPES target, seven uranium carbide discs, obtained by reacting uranium oxide with graphite and carbon nanotubes, were irradiated with protons at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In the following, the yields of several fission products obtained during the experiment are presented and discussed. The experimental results are then compared to those obtained using a standard uranium carbide target. The reported data highlights the capability of the new type of SPES target to produce and release isotopes of interest for the nuclear physics community.