The Alto Tandem and Isol Facility at IPN Orsay

Alto is an infrastructure for experimental nuclear physics in France that comprises both an on-line isotope-separation facility based on the photofission of uranium and a stableion beam facility based on a 14.5-MV tandem accelerator. The isotope-separation on-line section of Alto is dedicated to the production of neutron-rich radioactive ion beams (RIB) from the interaction of the γ-flux induced by a 50-MeV 10-μA electron beam in a uraniumcarbide target. It is dimensioned for 10 fissions per second. The RIB facility is exploited in alternating mode with the tandem-based section of Alto, capable of accelerating both light ions for nuclear astrophysics and heavy ions for γ-spectroscopy. The facility thereby offers the opportunity to deliver beams to a large range of physics programmes from nuclear to interdisciplinary physics. In this article, we present the Alto facility as well as some of the highlights and prospects of the experimental programme.