Accelerator-based science for Greece

CALIBRA stands for Cluster of Accelerator Laboratories for Ion-Beam Research and Applications, i.e., the Research Infrastructure proposed in 2014 to the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI), in response to the call for the establishment of the Greek National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures (RI). The concept of the proposed Research Infrastructure is to establish, operate and exploit a Cluster of Accelerator Laboratories for Ion-Beam Research and Applications, in short CALIBRA, at the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in Athens, Greece.

CALIBRA is motivated by the numerous research opportunities of operating a variety of ion-beam accelerators within a unique multidisciplinary scientific environment. This environment has been successfully established over the years at NCSR “Demokritos”, where Biosciences, Material- and Nanoscience, Environmental and Cultural Heritage studies, Radiobiology and Radiopharmacy coexist with Nuclear Physics and its Applications. Under these conditions, the operation of a “Cluster of Accelerator Laboratories for Ion-Beam Research and Applications” could contribute successfully to the overall scientific programme of “Demokritos” as well as to the wider national and European scientific community.

In our technologically highly-developed society ion beams have become indispensable. A host of innovative applications ranging from medical therapy to the analysis of artefacts and a wide spectrum of fundamental research ranging from the exploitation of the nature of matter to the understanding of the evolution of the Universe are based on the use of ion beams. The on-going establishment of various accelerator facilities all over the world is a clear proof of their contribution to a country’s economic development and their importance in understanding issues of societal impact. For all these reasons, Greece shouldn’t lack an accelerator-based research infrastructure.

In Greece, the demand for accelerated ion beams is surprisingly high: a realistic estimation of the beam time necessary to serve the local needs for ion beam irradiations amounts to approximately 4000 hours per year, from which more than 70% refer to applications related to environmental studies, analysis of cultural heritage objects including radiocarbon dating, analysis and development of new materials of technological interest, testing of new detectors and sensors under charged particle or neutron irradiations, and various analytical services in general. In these needs, the beam time for R&D in new radioisotopes for medical use is not taken into account. This holds also for beam-time requests related to services to the public or private sector.

To date, a good part of the local demand for accelerated ion beams is covered by the ΤANDEM Accelerator Laboratory (TAL), a unique research infrastructure in Greece, operating at the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the NCSR “Demokritos”. CALIBRA is an expansion of TAL, aiming at gradually covering all beam-time needs at national level. It is a Research Infrastructure providing open access to the local as well as the European scientific community to perform research and take advantage of the highly-specialized ion-beam based analytical techniques. CALIBRA can also support the public and private sector, per demand, by providing irradiation and analytical services and transferring knowledge and expertise. High-level training and education of young scientists is among the mission of CALIBRA as well.