View of a part of the high energy transport line of SPIRAL 2 installed at GANIL in Caen

View of a part of the high energy transport line (LHE) of SPIRAL 2 (a 2nd generation linear radioactive ion production system), installed at GANIL (Large National Heavy Ion Accelerator) in Caen. The LHE is used to transport ion beams in ultra-high vacuum tubes: the pressure within the tubes is one hundred billion times lower than atmospheric pressure. The ion beams are focused by quadrupole magnets and guided by dipole magnets. The SPIRAL 2 linear superconductive particle accelerator (LINAC) is connected to laboratories dedicated to the exploration of the atomic nucleus. The SPIRAL 2 LINAC delivers light and heavy ion beams at extremely high intensities, more than 10 times greater than those available at GANIL. It enables both light and heavy exotic nuclei to be generated, as in a nuclear reaction. Located more than 9 m underground, SPIRAL 2 is dedicated to nuclear physics and develops applications for different areas of activity including nuclear medicine, energy, aerospace etc.