Author: Christophe Vermare

LIPAc reaches full accelerator configuration

A decisive step towards record light hadron beam performance and IFMIF-DONES validation

Complete LIPAc accelerator beam line with Project Team members working on the cryomodule

Europe and Japan have brought LIPAc to its full accelerator configuration in Rokkasho, Japan.
This milestone marks a decisive step for the IFMIF/EVEDA project and the future of fusion materials testing. With all major subsystems now installed, the 36-meters accelerator is ready to enter its next commissioning phase.

At its core, the SRF section aims at accelerating particles up to 9 MeV at 125 mA in continuous-wave operation. This highly demanding regime is essential to reduce the main technical risks for future fusion neutron source facilities such as IFMIF-DONES and A-FNS.

With assembly completed, the teams will now proceed with progressive commissioning, including RF conditioning, cryogenic operation and integrated tests. Warm conditioning is planned to start in June 2026 and beam operations are planned to start by March 2027, first with protons and then with deuterons. LIPAc now enters a decisive phase to turn years of European-Japanese collaboration into demonstrated accelerator capability.

HEBT
Zoom on the RFQ
LEBT
Injector plasma chamber, coils and RF guides
Operation on-going on the SRF system
Focus on SRF cavities