RIB production by photofission in the framework of the ALTO project: First experimental measurements and Monte-Carlo simulations

The ALTO facility (Accelerateur Lineaire aupres du Tandem d'Orsay) has been built and is now under commissioning. The facility is intended for the production of low energy neutron-rich ion-beams by ISOL technique. This will open new perspectives in the stud), of nuclei very far from the valley of stability. Neutron-rich nuclei are produced by photofission in a thick uranium carbide target (UCx) using a 10 mu A. 50 MeV electron beam. The target is the same as that already had been used oil the previous deuteron based fission ISOL setup (PARRNE [F. Clapier et al.. Phys. Rev. ST-AB (1998) 013501.]). The intended nominal fission rate is about 10(11) fissions/s. We have Studied the adequacy of a thick carbide uranium target to produce neutron-rich nuclei by photofission by means of Monte-Carlo simulations. We present file production rates in the target and after extraction and mass separation steps. The results from Monte-Carlo simulations arc compared to experimental data either with the ALTO facility (in the first step of commissioning. i.e. 100 nA of the electron beam current intensity), or with fast-neutron-induced fission generated from a 26 MeV deuteron beam. The results obtained support the Suitability of FLUKA simulation code used to describe all the photofission process with an electron beam energy of 50 MeV. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.