Status of the NSCL upgrade

Felix Marti

The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU is in the process of upgrading its facility to operate its two cyclotrons (K500 and K1200) in a coupled mode. In this mode a low charge state ion (i.e. U 32+, 9 MeV/u) from the smaller cyclotron is injected in the booster cyclotron and stripped to a higher charge (i.e. U74+, 90 MeV/u) to accelerate it further. This will provide the capability of higher energies for heavy ions, while increasing the intensities of lighter ions. The upgrade also includes the replacement of the A1200 mass separator with the new A1900 with larger acceptance. We will discuss the status of the construction and installation of the different hardware components and the challenges we anticipate during operation scheduled to start in July 2001.