Built at the end of the BL4A proton beamline, the TISOL (TRIUMF Isotope Separator On-line) test facility became operational in 1986, running until 1999. At TISOL, targets were irradiated with a 1 uA 200-500 MeV proton beam, producing a wide range of short-lived rare isotopes The “Red Giant” was a key experiment that successfully threw light on the origin of the carbon to oxygen elemental abundance ratio observed throughout the universe. The successes of TISOL eventually led to the development of ISAC, by providing a low-power test area for R&D and operational experience.
You have to remember, TRIUMF was a meson facility. Now we were showing we can also do rare isotope experiments.
John D’Auria, professor emeritus and considered one of the founding fathers of the rare isotope program at TRIUMF.
