High-beam-power operations at heavy ion facilities: Technical developments, challenges and resolutions

Today, new heavy ion accelerator facilities are emerging worldwide, including FRIB in the United States, RAON in Korea, HIAF in China, and FAIR in Germany. While each facility features distinct accelerator configurations, they share a common goal: advancing nuclear science through the acceleration of intense heavy ion beams. Among these, the RIKEN RI Beam Factory (RIBF) in Japan has led the way, commencing operations in 2007 as the first of the new-generation facilities. Based on a multi-stage cyclotron system with the superconducting ring cyclotron (SRC) as its final stage, RIBF accelerates heavy ions, including uranium, to 345 MeV/u and produces rare isotope beams using an in-flight scheme. Over 15 years of operation, RIBF has achieved significant advancements in beam intensity and stability, with beam power from the SRC now reaching 10 - 20 kW. These improvements have enabled groundbreaking studies of unstable nuclei. This presentation will discuss the technical challenges overcome at RIBF, and explore the facility’s future directions in heavy ion acceleration.