European RIB facilities - status and future

Journal article, 2013

The European landscape of Radioactive Ion Beam facilities is currently in a transformation phase. Several existing installations are undergoing extensive upgrade programmes while construction of next-generation facilities are underway. This encompasses facilities based on both the in-flight and the ISOL techniques, though such traditional scopes are being modified by developments concerning beam handling and preparation. The facility developments are a consequence of the strong scientific potential demonstrated by experiments with radioactive ion beams in the last decades. This potential was recently highlighted in the European roadmap for Nuclear Physics, coordinated by the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC). A brief account of the main current facilities is made, including key instrumentation and future plans. The two major RIB facilities that are under construction in Europe, namely the NUSTAR part of FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) and SPIRAL2 at GANIL, are described. An outlook and roadmap for European ISOL-research according to the NuPECC long range plan, ultimately leading to the future EURISOL facility, is presented.