SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) Project: First collimated beam of unstable, very short-lived, low-energy nuclei produced

An important milestone in Italian research in Nuclear Physics was recently achieved at the Legnaro National Laboratories of the INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics). As part of the SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) project, the first collimated beam of unstable, very short-lived, low-energy nuclei was produced in November 2024.
Thanks to this significant result, SPES is confirmed, to all intents and purposes, as an advanced research facility for the production of radioactive ion beams available to the global community of nuclear physicists. At SPES, the structure and dynamics of exotic nuclei, such as those formed in the final stages of stellar evolution, will be studied, the limits of formation and stability of nuclear matter will be explored, and innovative radionuclides of interest for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac and oncological diseases will be produced.
The research group in Fundamental and Applied Nuclear Physics of DIMI (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) has been participating in the SPES project and its applications in the medical field for several years. Under the guidance of Prof. Aldo Zenoni, Full Professor of Physics and head of the research group until 2023, with the fundamental contribution of Dr. Antonietta Donzella, physicist, important studies have been carried out at DIMI to support the SPES project, such as the radioresistance of the polymeric materials used or the radiological risk of the plant.