The HIE-ISOLDE project - cost evaluation and implementation plan

This High Intensity and Energy (HIE) ISOLDE project will build on the success of the REX-ISOLDE post accelerator and will focus on an upgrade of the REX facility. Highly charged ions will be provided through an improved low energy stage of REXISOLDE and a possible parallel installation of an ECR charge breeder. The top energy of REX-ISOLDE will be increased in two stages with a first upgrade to 5.5 MeV/u and a second to 10 MeV/u. This will be followed by a third stage in which the low energy (1.2 - 3 MeV/u) Normal Conducting (NC) part is replaced with Super Conducting (SC) cavities to increase reliability and enable deceleration to energies below 1.2 MeV/u. The project also aims to improve the target and front-end part of ISOLDE to fully profit from upgrades of the existing CERN proton injectors, e.g. faster cycling of the PS Booster and LINAC4. Finally, the beam quality will be much improved for ISOLDE users. The transverse and longitudinal beam emittance will be improved with a new RFQ cooler (ISCOOL). The cooler will permit a tailoring of the beam i.e. de-coupling the radioactive ion beam (RIB) time structure from the proton beam time structure and diffusion-effusion properties of the target and ion source units. A new HRS, based on the latest magnet technology, will have sufficient mass resolution to permit isobaric separation for some isotopes. A renovated Resonant Ionization Laser ion Source (RILIS) will assure full availability of this outstanding system for all users and the construction of a new laser ion source laboratory will permit new ionization schemes to be developed off-line.