Operation and machine studies

This annual report describes the GANIL (Grand accelerateur national d'ions lourds, Caen, France) operation and the machine studies realized in 1992. Metallic ions have been accelerated during 36 pc of the time; some were produced for the first time at GANIL: 125Te, 52Cr with ECR3, 181Ta with ECR4. The various machine studies are: comparison of lifetimes of carbon sheets, charge exchange of very heavy ions in carbon foils and in the residual gas of the Ganil cyclotrons, commissioning of the new high intensity axial injection system for Ganil, tantalum acceleration with the new injector, a cyclotron as a mass spectrometer; other studies concerned: implementing the new control system, gettering flux measurement, energy deposited by neutrons and gamma rays in the cryogenic system of SISSI; latest developments on multicharged ECR ion sources, and an on-line isotopic separator test bench at Ganil