Past, Present and Future of the n_TOF Facility at CERN

Abstract

The n_TOF spallation neutron facility is operating at CERN since 2001. Neutrons are produced with a very wide energy range, from thermal up to 1 GeV and with a very high instantaneous flux (10⁵ n/cm²/pulse at 200 m from target) thanks to the high intensity (7 x 10¹² protons/pulse) and low repetition rate of the Proton Synchrotron (PS) which is delivering protons to a lead spallation target. The experimental area is located at 200 m from the target, resulting in a very good energy resolution and beam quality thanks to the adoption of an optimal collimation system. At the end of 2008 the n_TOF facility has resumed operation after a halt of 3 years due to technical issues. This contribution will outline the main physics results obtained by the facility since its inception in 1999, and show the importance of the measured nuclear data in the field of Nuclear Astrophysics and Nuclear Technology. Then it will present the future perspectives of the facility, aiming mainly in the direction of measuring highly radioactive samples, for which the facility has unique capabilities, with a lower background.