The International Nuclear Target Development Society (INTDS) is a not-for-profit, educational organization for those interested in nuclear target development for research in physics, chemistry, and related sciences. The INTDS held its 25th world conference from September 12th -17th at TRIUMF, in Vancouver, Canada.
The arrival of this conference at TRIUMF was a distinct privilege and honour. TRIUMF regularly uses high-power beams of protons to irradiate target materials for the production of isotopes--for physics and medicine. TRIUMF's ISAC facility is designed to use targets absorbing up to 50 kW of beam power. The next-generation accelerator at TRIUMF will be designed to deliver up to 10 times this power, up to 500 kW. As one the world's leading laboratories working at the 'intensity frontier' of accelerated beam power, TRIUMF had much to offer - and much to gain - by hosting this prestigious conference in its own backyard.
Papers presented at the conference covered a variety of scientific topics in the TRIUMF auditorium, including: Preparation techniques for thin films and foils; Stripper foils, High power targets, Radioactive targets, Liquid and gas targets, Target Characterization, and Targets for medical radioisotope production and special applications.
The conference was also a chance to tour the TRIUMF laboratory, and sightsee in Vancouver. The 50 conference attendees from 13 different countries also enjoyed an evening banquet on Wednesday in front of the beluga whales at the beautiful Vancouver Aquarium, in Stanley Park.
Alistair Mmuirhad, a federal machinist from Australia attending the conference for the first time, noted his favourite part was touring TRIUMF, particularly, “seeing people at work in the Carbon Prep Lab.”
“This conference again emphasized the importance of accelerator target development and its role in the progress of nuclear and particle physics,” Stefan Zeisler, local host and chairman of this years organizing committee said. “I am looking forward to our next meeting in 2012.”
At the end of the 25th Conference of the INTDS, Bettina Lommel and Klaus Eberhardt from Germany had the pleasure of announcing the intended location of the 26th conference: the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, in Germany. Bettina remarked that they enjoyed everything about the conference, the people they met, and the visit to Vancouver – Klaus interjected, “everything except the rain!”
For more information about the 25th Conference of the INTDS, see: http://intds2010.triumf.ca/
About the INTDS: http://www.intds.org/
-- Jessica Coccimiglio, Communications Assistant