BigRIPS In-Flight Separator at RIKEN RI Beam Factory (RIBF)

The BigRIPS in-flight separator at RI Beam Factory (RIBF) at RIKEN Nishina Center, which became operational in March 2007, is used to produce a wide range of rare isotope (RI) beams by using not only projectile fragmentation but a lso in-flight fission. It is characterized by two major features: large acceptance and a two-stage structure. High capability of particle identification is also its important feature. Efficient RI beam production based on the in-flight scheme is made possible at RIBF by these features of the BigRIPS separator, allowing us to expand the accessible region of exotic nuclei to a large extent. In this report the overview and status of the BigRIPS separator are presented.