MYRRHA Proton Target Facility
PTF
Innovation at your disposal
Multi-purpose
The full PTF facility surrounding the ISOL system will consist of
- The irradiation pit, where the target is bombarded by the proton beam and the produced isotopes are extracted and mass purified,
- A target hall where allowing the target exchange through a remote-handling system
- A radioactive ion beam (RIB) handling area where the beams of isotopes are further purified, inspected for ensuring a good quality and directed towards the collector station or the corresponding experimental stations
- A users laboratory where the various experimental stations for fundamental science or solid-state physics and biology are being installed
Production of radioisotopes with proton beam
The heart of the PTF is the Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) system, where a wide range of radioisotopes will be produced by nuclear reactions of the proton beam with the primary target material. The radioisotopes produced with ISOL are extracted from the target in a delicate and technologically challenging task, involving lasers, electrostatic devices (quadrupoles and electrodes) and precisely tuned magnetic dipoles.
In the end, one specific radioisotope with high purity will be transported to the laboratory for further manipulation – the strength of the ISOL system. Radioisotope manipulation can range from a pure collection onto a foil (for medical isotope harvesting for instance) to trapping in electromagnetic “bottles” and observing its radioactive decay in a very detailed manner.
