The Research Center for Nuclear Physics at Osaka University

Abstract

The Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP) was founded in 1971 at Osaka University to promote nuclear physics research using a variable-energy, multiparticle azimuthally varying field (AVF) cyclotron with a K-value of 140 MeV. The maximum kinetic energy of a charged particle accelerated by the AVF cyclotron is given by 140 × (Q/A)² MeV/u, where Q and A are charge state and mass number of the charged particle, respectively. Construction of the AVF cyclotron facility was finished in 1973 and nuclear physics experiments started from 1976. A ring cyclotron with a K-value of 400 MeV [1] was completed in 1991 to increase the maximum energy of proton and heavy ion beams up to 420 and 100 A MeV, respectively. The AVF cyclotron in a standalone operation mode is mainly used for radio isotope (RI) production, educational experiments, and detector developments. The AVF cyclotron also provides an ion beam to the ring cyclotron as an injector. Four kinds of ion sources, a 10 GHz permanent magnet type electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source named NEOMAFIOS, an 18 GHz superconducting ECR ion source, a 2.45 GHz ECR proton source, a polarized proton and deuteron source, were developed to fulfill the requirements for the research in nuclear physics, radiochemistry, nuclear medicine, and interdisciplinary field.