CANAM
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Hostitelská instituce: Nuclear Physics Institute, CAS
The CANAM operates several different types of accelerators and neutron facilities, which are used in a wide range of scientific and technological disciplines. The ions are prepared at the isochronous cyclotron accelerator U-120M, at the electrostatic linear Tandetron 4130M accelerator, and at the cyclotron TR-24 which was commissioned in 2015. The facilities for studies with thermal neutrons are installed at the irradiation channels of the LVR-15 research reactor operated by the Research Center Řež. Fast neutrons are obtained from production targets at the cyclotron U-120M. The possibilities and scope in combination with different techniques using the ion and neutron beams (which can be implemented in synergic combination in the CANAM laboratories) are unique, even at the international level. The production, modification and complex characterization methods of CANAM are offered with employment for basic and applied studies in various R&D fields such as physics, materials sciences, chemistry, biology, biomedicine, energetics, microelectronics, environmental sciences, archaeology, cultural heritage, etc.
Future development
Permanent effort is devoted to developing, upgrading and modernizing the CANAM laboratories. Completion of laboratories and instrumentation at the TR-24 cyclotron will substantially increase the possibilities in the research of radionuclide production, with applications mainly in medicine and life sciences, and in fast neutron studies, with an impact on the development of future fission and fusion technologies. The intended acquisition of an Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) system, presently not available in the Czech Republic, would significantly advance analytical applications especially for environmental science and archeology.
Socio-economic impact
Both ion and neutron beams are important for their performance in various targeted applications, which are important not only for the scientific community, but also for the commercial sector, as the development of new materials and technologies, nanostructure synthesis, ion beam micromachining, radiation hardness of electronic elements, and nuclear data for fusion and advanced fission systems. Cooperation between CANAM and commercial sector concentrates not only on solving common R&D projects and tasks, but also on providing services at the CANAM facilities and expertise.
