On April 8, 2013, a high-ranking delegation from the French national laboratory known as Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) visited TRIUMF. Both laboratories lead their respective countries in the research and development of isotopes for science and medicine. The two laboratories have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding governing joint projects and cooperation. The purpose of the recent visit was to discuss possibilities for new partnerships beyond existing efforts. Some of the enhanced cooperation will be supported through a recently funded Programme International de Coopération Scientifique (PICS) entitled "PRISM" (Purification des faisceaux Radioactifs ISOL par Ionisation Laser et Séparation en Masse) between TRIUMF and several laboratories of IN2P3 (GANIL, CENBG, CSNSM) for the period 2013-2015.
The French delegation consisted of the Director of GANIL (Dr. Florent Staley), the Deputy Director of GANIL (Dr. Marek Lewitowicz), and the SPIRAL-2 Equipment Scientific Coordinator, (Dr. Hervé Savajols). The meeting agenda comprised presentations about TRIUMF (Dr. Nigel Lockyer, Laboratory Director), the ARIEL project (Dr. Bob Laxdal, Deputy Head of the Accelerator Division), and the ISAC facility (Dr. Reiner Kruecken, Head of the Science Division) as well as laboratory-wide seminar presentations by Dr. Staley on GANIL and Dr. Savajols on the SPIRAL-2 project. Dr. Savajols is also a collaborator on TRIUMF's TITAN project.
The visitors then toured TRIUMF's on-site facilities as well as the ARIEL construction site; ARIEL is Canada's new flagship isotope facility and will enhance TRIUMF's isotope-production capabilities with high-intensity electron beams. Afterward, current collaboration on laser-ion source research was summarized by TRIUMF's Dr. Jens Lassen and an extended discussion took place on further possibilities of cooperation resulting in a list of specific opportunities. Action items and points-of-contact at both labs were identified in order to develop concrete project plans.
The day concluded with mutual agreement and satisfaction that the relationship between Canada and France was strengthened because of the new level of partnership between the two laboratories.
-- by R. Kruecken, Head, Science Division
(Photo courtesy F. Mammarella)