Dear ATLAS User,

The purpose of this note is to announce an important workshop for the ATLAS users to be held at Argonne National Laboratory on AUGUST 8 and 9, 2009.

As you are aware, major changes are in store for the ATLAS facility. First, the Energy Upgrade and the CARIBU (CAlifornium Rare Ion Breeder Upgrade) projects are nearing completion. In addition, the role of ATLAS for the low-energy nuclear physics community needs to be revisited in light of the decision to site the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University.

The workshop will be an opportunity to: (1) update everyone on the new capabilities of ATLAS and (2) refine the vision of the future of ATLAS. Thus, information on the newly achieved beam energies will be presented. The update on the CARIBU project will include information on both a time frame and the intensities that will be available for experiments. There will also be updates on the status of various equipment projects and opportunities for discussion of plans for future instrumentation.

The main focus of the workshop will be a discussion of the future of ATLAS. Since the announcement of the FRIB decision, ATLAS management, in consultation with the Executive Committee of the ATLAS users Group, has developed a number of plans that will ensure that the facility will remain at the forefront of research for the foreseeable future. The facility and its users are encouraged by the DOE Office of Nuclear Physics to look vigorously for new opportunities, and funding for the first phase of the upgrade has been secured through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Plans for possible new accelerator configurations and for accompanying detection systems have now progressed to the point that user input is imperative. What is envisioned is a stepwise upgrade that would result in a significant efficiency and intensity upgrade of the facility - both for stable and radioactive beams. A short description of the ideas that are being put forth will appear on the ATLAS web site shortly. The goal of this aspect of the workshop is clear: optimize plans for the ATLAS Upgrade (facility and Instrumentation) by delineating the strongest science case possible and by prioritizing investments in the facility.

By the end of this workshop, it is hoped that the ATLAS user community will be ready to update the ATLAS Strategic Plan so that the facility will be positioned well to continue to produce world-class science.

The workshop will start in the morning on SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, and will end in the early afternoon of SUNDAY, AUGUST 9. This arrangement will give the opportunity to those interested to attend the workshop to be held at the NSCL on the following August 10 and 11.

It goes without saying that your presence at this workshop is of paramount importance. If ATLAS is to continue to play a forefront role in low-energy nuclear physics, it needs the active participation and the full support of all its users.

More details about the workshop and about the plans for the facility will soon follow.

We are looking forward to your active participation in the workshop.

Yours, sincerely

Walt Loveland
Oregon State University
Chair of the Executive Committee of the ATLAS user group

Robert V. F. Janssens
Scientific Director of ATLAS

---

If you would like additional information about ATLAS, you can also contact Ms. Barbara Weller in the Physics Division of Argonne National Laboratory at (630) 252-4044 or via email at: [email protected]