A neutron beam facility at SPIRAL-2

The SPIRAL-2 facility, dedicated to the production of radioactive beams, is expected to be operational in 2011 in GANIL, Caen (France). A high-power, superconducting driver LINAC, delivering a high-intensity deuteron as well as proton and heavy ions beams, will be built. The deuterons and protons accelerated by the LINAG (LINear Accelerator of Ganil) up to 40 MeV are particularly well suited to the construction of a neutron beam and irradiation facility which is called Neutrons for Science (NFS). Thick C and Be target-converters with incident deuteron beam will produce an intense white neutron spectrum while thin 7Li target and incident proton beam allows to generate quasi-monoenergetic neutrons. The 1-40 MeV neutron energy range will be covered and characterized by very intense fluxes available. We will show how the primary ion beam characteristics (energy, time resolution, intensity, etc.) are adequate to create a neutron time-of-flight facility. Irradiation stations for neutron, proton and deuteron induced reactions could also be built in order to perform cross sections measurements by activation techniques. In this paper we will also discuss the potential of this new installation to investigate numerous topics both in fundamental and applied physics. In particular, cross section measurements could be performed for different purposes like nuclear data evaluation, fission and fusion technology, Accelerator Driven Systems, nuclear medicine, astrophysics. A number of physics experiments will be described. Finally we note that a Letter of Intent (LoI) on NFS has been recently written and presented to the Scientific Advisory Committee of GANIL.