MeV IBA and Ion irradiation at the LNL Van De Graaff accelerator facilities

by Dr Matteo Campostrini (INFN - LNL)

Tuesday 18 Mar 2025, 10:30 → 12:30 Europe/Rome

C. Villi meeting room

The MeV Van de Graaff accelerators at the Legnaro National Laboratories continue to play an important role in INFN’s research across various fields, including nuclear physics, astrophysics, medical physics, and in the development and characterization of materials. They are also extensively used for applications in cultural heritage preservation, environmental sample analysis, in detector and electronic component testing, spacecraft material irradiation, and, more recently, in precision targeting for quantum technology applications.

The LNL MeV accelerators have been recently employed for the development and modification of new semiconductor materials for quantum technologies, as well as for testing novel detectors based on 1D and 2D materials. The main activities in these areas include the production of single-photon emitters for integrated silicon photonics devices, using the new ion implantation chamber installed at the AN2000 accelerator facility and the ion microprobe.

A key topic is deterministic ion implantation (either of single ions or of multiple ions) with high space resolution. This includes the development of detectors enabling single-ion detection with minimal perturbation of the ion momentum.

In addition, new facilities have been setup to irradiate spacecraft materials over large areas, adhering to Space Agency specifications, to simulate the lifetime of satellite components.

Parallel to the emerging research fields of novel detectors testing and quantum applications, the LNL MeV accelerators continue to serve their historically significant role in Ion Beam Analysis (IBA).

The constant demand for high-quality nuclear targets, characterized by extremely low levels of contaminants and high stability under intense ion beams, establishes LNL as a fundamental partner for the precise and effective execution of nuclear physics experiments. These include areas of growing interest to INFN, such as nuclear astrophysics and medical physics.

IBA characterization techniques are fundamental tools for optimizing target material production methods and for enabling accurate nuclear cross-section measurements. Examples will be given.