TRIUMF’s CANREB facility marks first beam

Scientists and engineers at TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, announced a major milestone for TRIUMF’s Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL), maneuvering for the first time an isotope beam through the ARIEL-based CANREB facility and on to an experiment.

The achievement marks a watershed moment for the laboratory’s future-facing science program, which leverages TRIUMF’s unique accelerator infrastructure to drive impact from research on short-lived rare isotopes.

“With this delivery of beam through CANREB, we have entered the first phase of ARIEL’s science output,” said Reiner Kruecken, TRIUMF Deputy Director, Research. “As a globally unique multi-user isotope research facility, ARIEL will bring critical advances in our understanding of rare isotopes, which we can use to investigate the nature of matter, the origins of the universe, the next generation of nuclear medicine, and beyond.”

“With CANREB, we are augmenting our existing TRIUMF infrastructure by improving the capacity to accelerate ‘high-mass’ isotopes with high purity,” said Rituparna Kanungo, Principal Investigator for the CANREB project and Professor of Physics at Saint Mary’s University. “CANREB greatly strengthens TRIUMF’s nuclear physics program, unlocking new opportunities for research and the training of students and postdocs from across Canada and around the world.”

Delivery of beam through CANREB marks the first in a series of phased rollouts for ARIEL science, which will continue with the installation of two additional isotope-producing targets and the start of operations for ARIEL’s powerful superconducting electron linear accelerator, purpose-built for producing rare isotopes.

Fully realized, ARIEL and the CANREB facility will establish TRIUMF as a global leader in the production of high-intensity isotope beams, strengthening the laboratory’s role as a multidisciplinary hub for international science.

“This achievement ushers in a new era for TRIUMF,” said Jonathan Bagger, TRIUMF Director. “With ARIEL, our researchers will be empowered to advance the frontiers of science while simultaneously translating discoveries and innovations into real impact for Canadians and people around the world.”

The CANREB project was led by Saint Mary’s University in partnership with the University of Manitoba. It received funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust, and the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund. It was also supported by TRIUMF’s commercialization arm, TRIUMF Innovations.

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