Nuclear Research Institute and Basic Research Institute Join Forces to Overcome Challenges in Heavy Ion Accelerator Construction

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A cooperative system has been established among national research institutes to expedite the completion of the Korean heavy-ion accelerator 'RAON (Rare isotope Accelerator complex for ON-line experiments)', which has been delayed beyond the original schedule.

On the 25th, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) announced that it has dispatched 14 accelerator experts from its Proton Science Research Division to the Heavy Ion Accelerator Construction Project Group at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) to jointly develop superconducting accelerator cavities suitable for the heavy-ion accelerator.

They will conduct performance tests of the low-energy superconducting accelerator cavities by December this year and, together with the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, will carry out alternative designs for the high-energy superconducting accelerator cavities. The Proton Science Research Division has been operating a 100 MeV proton accelerator developed with domestic technology since 2013 and is currently developing superconducting accelerator cavities independently to enhance performance.

The heavy-ion accelerator 'RAON', being constructed by IBS, is an advanced large-scale research facility that ionizes and accelerates heavy elements such as uranium and collides them with target materials to produce new rare isotopes that do not naturally exist. The core technology is the superconducting accelerator cavity, which forms a strong electric field inside a vacuum tube with zero electrical resistance to accelerate heavy ions like protons and uranium.

The IBS Heavy Ion Project Group initially planned to build SSR (Single Spoke Resonator) type superconducting accelerator cavities for the high-energy acceleration section. However, the SSR type, shaped like spokes of a wheel, is complex in form, making manufacturing and installation difficult, causing delays in the scheduled completion of the heavy-ion accelerator by the end of this year. IBS plans to complete only the low-energy acceleration section by the end of this year and simultaneously conduct follow-up research while constructing the high-energy acceleration section.

KAERI believes that the technology of the HWR (Half Wave Resonator) type superconducting accelerator cavities developed by the Proton Science Research Division will aid in the early completion of IBS's high-energy acceleration section. This is because there are successful development cases overseas, and it is easier to manufacture, making it a notable alternative design to the SSR type.

Kim Yoo-jong, head of KAERI's Proton Science Research Division, said, "Through this joint development of superconducting accelerator cavities, we expect to contribute to the successful construction of the heavy-ion accelerator and simultaneously secure core accelerator technologies necessary for establishing a GeV-class proton accelerator-based spallation neutron source." He added, "We hope that the domestic accelerator community will continue to collaborate to successfully build a world-class heavy-ion accelerator and further advance domestic accelerator technology."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.