The development of a BE-7 radioactive beam. From nuclear physics to applications for industry

An intense beam of Be-7 (T1/2=53 days) has been developed at the CYCLONE radioactive beam facility in Louvain-la-Neuve. Because of the Be-7 properties (long half-life, metallic nature) novel methods have been used for the production, ionisation and post-acceleration of this element. A dedicated ECR source has been developed to inject the minute quantities of radioactive atoms in a controlled manner and to recycle the Be-7 atoms lost on the plasma chamber walls. This Be-7 beam was initially requested for nuclear astrophysics experiments but is now also used for industry. The implantation of Be-7 is indeed a powerful tool to measure the wear properties of materials like ceramics or amorphous carbon layers which are difficult to activate with protons. This application will be illustrated with a few examples. (author)