Recent developments for high intensity beams at GANIL

In 2001−2002, several new results have been obtained and equipment development performed, in the frame of both projects: “6 kW beam acceleration” and “operation with 2 kW intensity beams”: − acceleration of a 5 kW argon beam for the first time at GANIL, in December 2001, with a SSC2 dee voltage of 200 kV (instead of 160 kV for the previous tests); − operation of the SSC2 cavities at 230 kV in CW mode; − installation of a new radial mobile probe in the compact injector cyclotron; it can support higher thermal powers, up to 200 W for a 1 MeV/A beam, in particular during machine studies with high intensity beams in the injector; − development of a new chopper, due to the necessity of tuning the accelerator without modifying the peak intensity because of space charge effects, thus without pepper pots; − construction of thinner pre-septum and septum for the SSC2 electrostatic deflector, in order to reduce both the losses on this equipment and its activation (replacement of copper pre-septum by a tungsten one); − improvements of the accelerator security control system, and extension of high power beam transport towards some experimental areas.