THE EXCYT PROJECT

The EXCYT facility (EXotics with CYclotron and Tandem) at the INFN-LNS is based on a K-800 Superconducting Cyclotron injecting stable heavy-ion beams (up to 80 MeV/amu, 1μA) into a Target-Ion Source assembly (TIS) to produce the required nuclear species, and on a 15 MV Tandem for post-accelerating the radioactive beams. Since the previous TIS had been radically modified in its shape, dimensions and geometry, it became necessary to verify off and on-line the TIS behaviour with respect to the mechanical and thermal stresses at 2300 K as well as to obtain information about the production and the release processes. In order to save time, this was successfully achieved in May 2003 at the SIRa test-bench of SPIRAL, GANIL, by shooting a ¹³C primary beam (60 MeV/amu) on a ¹²C target under the same operational conditions that will be initially used at EXCYT. The measured yields and production efficiencies for ^8,9Li were compatible with the ones obtained at SIRa. We decided to deliver ⁸Li as the first EXCYT radioactive beam taking into account the requests and the first results obtained by the Big Bang collaboration as well as the availability of the large magnetic spectrometer MAGNEX in late 2004. The commissioning of the EXCYT facility is foreseen by the beginning of 2005 together with the start of nuclear experiments programme.