SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is the INFN (Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare) facility to produce and post-accelerate exotic nuclei for forefront research in nuclear physics and to produce radioiso-topes for medical applications. The primary proton beam, extracted by a commercial cyclotron, irradiates targets like SiC, TiC or UCx where the ISOL (Isotope Separation On Line) technique is used to produce and extract exotic nuclei. Those are ionized, selected and either transported to low energy experiments or cooled with an RFQ (Radio-Frequency Quadrupole) cooler, purified from isobars contaminants through a HRMS (High-Resolution Mass Separator), sent to a CB (Charge Breeder), to increase charge state, injected into a RFQ accelerator and accelerated into ALPI (Acceleratore Lineare Per Ioni) superconducting Linac to finally reach experimental stations. The primary beamline has been fully commissioned, first radioactive beams have been produced and transported to low energy experiments, while the post-accelerator is under installation. A description of the entire facility as well as its commissioning status is given.

The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) has been a National User Facility since 1985. Since the commissioning of the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Unit (CARIBU) in 2012, it has used 2 bespoke water-cooled linear power supplies to allow for milliamp control of the isobar separator magnets, which allows for milligauss control of the magnets. During the upgrade to nuCARIBU, the aging linear power supplies were replaced with off-the-shelf (OTS) switched mode power supplies (SMPS). The benefit of the SMPS is higher efficiency and since they are air-cooled, no load on the water cooling system, while the detriment is the decrease in resolution of the current control. To overcome this limitation, a device was constructed that allows control of a sub-milliamp constant current sink, which is placed in parallel to the magnet. This arrangement allows the control system to “leak” a precise amount of current away from the magnet, effectively giving sub-milliamp control of the current going into the magnet.