The LABEC laboratory, the INFN ion beam laboratory of nuclear techniques for environment and cultural heritage, located in the Scientific and Technological Campus of the University of Florence in Sesto Fiorentino, started its operational activities in 2004, after INFN decided in 2001 to provide our applied nuclear physics group with a large laboratory dedicated to applications of accelerator-related analytical techniques, based on a new 3 MV Tandetron accelerator. The new accelerator greatly improved the performance of existing Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) applications (for which we were using since the 1980s an old single-ended Van de Graaff accelerator) and in addition allowed to start a novel activity of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), in particular for 14C dating. Switching between IBA and AMS operation became very easy and fast, which allowed us high flexibility in programming the activities, mainly focused on studies of cultural heritage and atmospheric aerosol composition, but including also applications to biology, geology, material science and forensics, ion implantation, tests of radiation damage to components, detector performance tests and low-energy nuclear physics. This paper describes the facilities presently available in the LABEC laboratory, their technical features and some success stories of recent applications.

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LABEC, the INFN ion beam laboratory of nuclear techniques for environment and cultural heritage

GALILEO, a new 4 π high-resolution γ -detection array, based on HPGe detectors, has been developed and installed at the Legnaro National Laboratories. The GALILEO array greatly benefits from a fully-digital read-out chain, customized DAQ, and a variety of complementary detectors to improve the resolving power by the detection of particles, ions or high-energy γ -ray transitions. In this work, a full description of the array, including electronics and DAQ, is presented together with its complementary instrumentation.

The GALILEO γ-ray array at the Legnaro National Laboratories

The electromagnetic structure of Zn66 at low excitation energy was investigated via low-energy Coulomb excitation at INFN Legnaro National Laboratories, using the Gamma Array of Legnaro Infn Laboratories for nuclEar spectrOscopy (GALILEO) γ-ray spectrometer coupled to the SPIDER (Silicon PIe DEtectoR). A set of reduced E2, E3, and M1 matrix elements was extracted from the collected data using the gosia code, yielding 12 reduced transition probabilities between the low-spin states and the spectroscopic quadrupole moment of the 21+ state. The B(E2) values for transitions depopulating the 02+ state have been determined for the first time, allowing for the lifetime of this state to be deduced and, consequently, the ρ2(E0;02+→01+) monopole transition strength to be extracted. In addition, the B(E3;31−→01+) value has been determined for the first time in a Coulomb excitation experiment. The obtained results resolve the existing discrepancies between literature lifetimes and demonstrate that Zn66 cannot be described by using simple collective models. Therefore, new state-of-the-art beyond-mean-field and large-scale shell-model calculations were performed in order to interpret the structure of this nucleus. Both the experimental and theoretical results suggest that the triaxial degree of freedom has an important impact on electromagnetic properties of Zn66, while the unique features of the 02+ state indicate its distinct and rather isolated structure.

/pdf/onset-of-triaxial-deformation-in-66-zn-and-properties-of-its-2o5lmk3tek.pdf

Onset of triaxial deformation in $^{66}$Zn and properties of its first excited $0^+$ state studied by means of Coulomb excitation

Analytical techniques play a fundamental role in heritage science. Among them, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) techniques are widely used in many laboratories for elemental composition analysis. Although they are well-established, a strong effort is put on their upgrade, making them suitable for more and more applications. Over the years, at the INFN-LABEC (the laboratory of nuclear techniques for the environment and cultural heritage of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics), the INFN-CHNet group, the network devoted to cultural heritage, has carried out many technological improvements to the PIXE and XRF set-ups for the analysis of works of art and archaeological finds. Among the many, we recall here the scanning external microbeam facility at the TANDEM accelerator and the MA-XRF scanner. The two instruments have shown complementary features: the former permits quantitative analysis of elements heavier than sodium, which is not possible with the latter in most of the case studies. On the contrary, the scanner has the undeniable advantage of portability, allowing it to work in situ. In this framework of technological developments in heritage science, INFN, CERN, and OPD are jointly carrying on the MACHINA (Movable Accelerator for Cultural Heritage In-situ Non-destructive Analysis) project for on-site Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) studies on cultural heritage.

/pdf/the-role-of-pixe-and-xrf-in-heritage-science-the-infn-chnet-2bvt71fs.pdf

The Role of PIXE and XRF in Heritage Science: The INFN-CHNet LABEC Experience

Detected energy, charge rise-time and pulse shape identfication capabilities of nTD silicon detectors under prolonged irradiation by energetic heavy ions have been studied. Sizeable effects on the amplitude and the risetime of the charge signal have been found for detectors irradiated with large fluences of stopped heavy ions, while much weaker effects were observed for punchingthrough ions. The robustness of ion identification based on digital pulse shape techniques has been evaluated.

Effects of irradiation of energetic heavy ions on digital pulse shape analysis with silicon detectors

SPIDER is a new array of segmented silicon detectors for low-energy Coulomb-excitation experiments, designed as an ancillary device for modern γ -ray spectrometers such as GALILEO and AGATA. Currently, it is used at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL) for experiments with the GALILEO γ -ray array and the stable beams provided by the Tandem-XTU, ALPI-PIAVE accelerator complex. In this paper, a detailed description of SPIDER is presented, as well as the outcomes from the first in-beam experiment of the array coupled with GALILEO. In particular, radiation damage and cross-talk/charge-sharing effects induced by energetic heavy ions in SPIDER are investigated and the capabilities of the array to perform on-line Rutherford back-scattering analysis of the exploited target are presented. The material reported here can be used to plan future experiments with the GALILEO-SPIDER setup with the presently available stable beams at LNL and paves the way for future experimental campaigns with the radioactive beams provided in the near future by the SPES facility at LNL.

SPIDER: A Silicon PIe DEtectoR for low-energy Coulomb-excitation measurements

Target properties such as thickness and composition are essential ingredients in nuclear physics experiments, therefore, dedicated analyses to evaluate them before and/or after the measurement are often performed. In some experimental techniques, the exploited detectors allow for the evaluation of these properties on-line, i.e. directly during the experiment. In this paper, we report on the use of analysis methods coming from the Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy technique to obtain on-line information on the target used in a nuclear physics experiment. This measurement was performed at INFN LNL by exploiting the low-energy Coulomb excitation technique. The results have been compared with an independent Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis of the same target performed at INFN LABEC in Florence.

Applications of Rutherford backscattering analysis methods to nuclear physics experiments

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SPIDER: A Silicon PIe DEtectoR for low-energy Coulomb-excitation measurements

Applications of Rutherford backscattering analysis methods to nuclear physics experiments