n_TOF – The neutron facility
Astrophysics, environment and medical applications
The neutron time-of-flight facility, n_TOF, is a neutron source that has been operating at CERN since 2001. It is a unique facility in which neutrons are produced in a wide range of energies and in very intense beams. This allows precise measurements of neutron related processes that are relevant for several fields.
One example is nuclear astrophysics where data produced by n_TOF are used to study the ordinary stellar evolution as well as supernovae. Intense neutron beams are also critical in the studies of processes of incineration of radioactive nuclear waste and for a better understanding of the effects of radiation in the treatment of tumors with beams of hadrons (hadrontherapy).