Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) Project

The proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) Project will provide world-class intensities of radioactive beams created by any of the known production mechanisms. A driver linac will be used to accelerate any stable isotope from protons through uranium to energies of ⩾400 MeV/u and intensities of ⩾100 kW. Lighter elements will be used to produce radioactive ion beams by the isotope separation on line (ISOL) method. Typically heavier elements will be used to produce radioactive ion beams by the particle fragmentation (PF) method. A hybrid method of stopping radioactive ion beams produced by the PF method in a gas cell will also be employed. The RIA project has strong support from the nuclear science community as evidenced by RIA being the highest priority for major new construction in the most recent Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) Long Range Plan [2002 NSAC Long-Range Plan: Opportunities in Nuclear Science, A long-range plan for the next decade, April 2002]. In addition, RIA is tied for third position for the near term priorities of the Department of Energy (DoE) 20-year plan [DOE Office of Science, Facilities for the future of science: a twenty-year outlook. http://www.sc.doe.gov/Sub/Facilities_for_future/facilities_future.htm]. The status of the RIA design is presented.