Status report of the n_TOF facility after the 2nd CERN long shutdown period

During the second long shutdown period of the CERN accelerator complex (LS2, 2019-2021), several upgrade activities took place at the n_TOF facility. The most important have been the replacement of the spallation target with a next generation nitrogen-cooled lead target. Additionally, a new experimental area, at a very short distance from the target assembly (the NEAR Station) was established. In this paper, the core commissioning actions of the new installations are described. The improvement in the n_TOF infrastructure was accompanied by several detector development projects. All these upgrade actions are discussed, focusing mostly on the future perspectives of the n_TOF facility. Furthermore, some indicative current and future measurements are briefly reported.

Automated summary

During the second long shutdown period of the CERN accelerator complex, the n_TOF facility underwent several upgrades, including the replacement of the spallation target and the establishment of a new experimental area. This paper describes the commissioning actions of the new installations and discusses the future perspectives of the n_TOF facility, as well as some current and future measurements.