RICHARD GELLER

(Site en construction)

geller.grenoble@wanadoo.fr

 

 

 

April 25, 1927 (Vienna, Austria) – July 1, 2007 (Grenoble, France)

French citizenship.

Married to Annie, two children : Benoît Geller and Barbara Lissak.

 

Education

1944 : Interruption of high school. Part of French Resistance (F.T.P.)

1948 : Interruption of University Studies. Hired by Frederic Joliot Curie at CEA (French Nuclear Commission), Fontenay aux Roses.

1954 : PhD in Sciences at Paris La Sorbonne University under the supervision of Yves Rocard.

 

CAREER

From 1948 to 1970 : C.E.A (French Nuclear Commission; Fontenay aux Roses, Saclay)

1948 : Study of various instrumentations (radioactivity detection electronic).

 

1954 : Conception of a Helium spectrometer, leak detector: thesis under the supervision of Yves Rocard (Paris University) and Francis Perrin (CEA).

 

1956 : Study and conception with a team CEA/SNECMA of the first vertical turbo molecular vacuum pump.

 

1958 : New specialization in the field of the physics of plasmas.

 

1961-1962 : Invitation to Stanford University as Research Associate. Invention of numerous plasma generators, including the "Bumpy Torus" used in the U.S. 

 

1962 : Study on thermonuclear fusion and plasmas based on electron cyclotron resonance (ECR).

 

1965 : Invention of an Electron Cycloton Resonance ion source (ECRIS) ; development of prototypes.

 

1968 : Appointed by Anatole Abragam vice director of the Ion Department (120 persons) transfered to Grenoble in 1970. 

 

From 1970 to 1992 : C.E.A. Grenoble (Centre d’Etudes Nucléaires de Grenoble) in association with CNRS (from 1980).

 

1972 : Explication and experimental validation of Doppler shifts in aurora borealis.

 

1974 : Elaboration of the theoretical  “Scaling laws” ruling ECR plasmas and development and set up of the first performant ECRIS ( ion source called SUPERMAFIOS producing  highly ionized particules).

 

1974-1985 :  Teaching Plasma Physics and Ion Sources at Grenoble University.

 

1978 : SUPERMAFIOS miniaturization with permanent magnets studied at Grenoble CNRS (from 3 m² to 3 litres).

 

1980-1989 : Director of an international team for the development of more advanced ECRIS.

From 1980 to 1984 : Creation and leadership of Agrippa (CEA-CNRS atomic physics  laboratory).

1983-1986 : Director of a CEA-CNRS group  called PADSI working on ions, plamas, atomic physics and ion sources.

 

1990-1992 : Scientific adviser at the CENG. First steps of a new kind of accelerator called ECRIPAC ( dimension : 1 meter) that would allow energy scales similar to those of a synchrotron.

 

From 1993 to 2007 : Scientific Advisor at  the LPSC (Grenoble Cosmology and Subatomic Physics Laboratory (CNRS-UJF-INPG)

 

1995 : Conception of a new ECRIS source for short term (t<2sec.) radioactive ions.

1-time-ionized radioactive ions (1+) are multi-ionized within 0.1 sec with 4 to 10% yielding. This so-called 1+/n+ ECRIS is the experimental setup verifying the slowing down Chandrasekhar theory. It applies to continuous regime accelerators  such as cyclotrons or continuous Linacs and will built  at TRIUMF-ISAC Vancouver (Canada), ISIS Rutherford Appleton Lab (United Kingdom), and possibly at SPIRAL (GANIL, France) and Doubna (Russia).

 

1998 : Extension of the 1+/n+  method for  pulsed  accelerators (Linacs, Synchrotrons). This is made possible thanks to a pulsed trap and opens up a whole new way in astrophysics and should find application at MAFF (Munich) and REX-ISOLDE-CERN.

 

STRIKING FEATURES

Vacuum techniques

Development of  Helium spectrometer (1954). Worldly mass production (50,000 specimens) device produced by Thomson, Alcatel, Leybold, Balzers etc…

Still produced to this day, used worldwide for very-low-density vacuum  systems, and still used in labs.

Joint construction with CEA-SNECMA of the first turbo-molecular pump. Mass production under the label CEA/SNECMA (100,000 specimens) by Alcatel, Leybold, Balzers, and various American, Japanese, Chinese societies, and more.

 

Physics of ion sources and coupling of ECRIS to particles accelerators.

Invention of the first ion source based on electron cyclotron resonance in 1965 (ECRIS) and development of numerous ECRIS prototypes, some of them being used in industrial applications for surface treatment. Conception of the first ECRIS for multicharged ions (1974) and progressive improvements of its performances until today (miniaturization thanks to permanent magnets, and then thanks to superconductors, and increase of produced energies, that made possible the adaptability of these sources to very different applications). This last activity had far-reaching repercussions in various fields of fundamental research. It led to a new nuclear physics (heavy ions) and made it possible to launch new research in atomic physics.

This type of highly-ionized source, allows to spectacularly increase the energy of boosted ions without modifying the structure of the accelerators, i.e. without increasing the price of the experiences. Thus, a number of old accelerators underwent a real revival, and developed new activities. Generally speaking, thanks to this source, the big international accelerators such as GANIL, MSU, GSI, etc… were able to produce new isotopic elements. Since 1980, almost all the accelerators worldwide (cyclotrons, synchrotrons, linacs, …) got equipped with ECRIS, 30 of them were directly produced in Grenoble and then used in the European Community, the USA, Russia, the CERN, China, Japan, and more. Since 1985, international teams of hundreds of physicists work with these beams of heavy ions in order to probe the standard model and the theory of the Big Bang. This led to new research in the field of the physics of heavy particles, and to empirically approach the physics of high energies involved in the Big Bang, and the physics of the beginning of our universe. For instance, the CERN replacing its classical ion sources by an ECRIS moved from 200 GeV for protons in 1985 to  about 90 Tev for Lead ion in 1994 (i.e. about a 500 multiplicative factor) without spending any money and with a totally reliable source. The CERN was thus able to tackle the Big Bang physics (gluons and quarks high lightening), a mystery that excites the minds of more than just strange particles physicists. Studies are scheduled to start in 2008 at the LHC ( Large Hadron Collider)  at the CERN with 600 Gev Pb²⁷⁺ ions.

 

Development of ECRIS and their applications

ECRIS reliability and longevity allowed uninterrupted use of intense and highly-charged beams, making possible the discovery of super-heavy trans-uranium of the Mandeleev table   (110, 111, 112, 114, 116, and 118 in 2006) and of new isotopes (Berkeley, GSI, Doubna). Also, without any accelerator, ECRIS sources allowed a revival of atomic physics in which hundreds of physicists are active on the long-term in more than 20 laboratories.

The more recent discovery of the 1+/n+ method shall permit worldwide new studies on ISOL radioactive ions ( and among others, research in astrophysics). In particular at the CERN, new radioactive ion beams are replacing Penning Traps in the Rex Isolde program because they make it possible to increase the number of rare event 10000 times in comparison with classical devices.

 

In the late seventies, I wanted ECR sources to be part of cancers cure thanks to the very high precision that was obtained and that made possible to pinpoint cancerous tumors without destroying surrounding cells. Since 1994, ECRIS are indispensable sources for cancer therapy through heavy ions (HIMAC) for tumors known until then as incurable such as brain tumors. They were first used in Chiba (Japan), then at the GSI Darmstadt and will be in application in the coming years in Heidelberg, Padova, Lyon and other European hospitals are in development.

 

The ECRIS sources have often replaced the classical ions sources in various fields such as surface treatments, ionic implantation, micro-etching and are progressing into high-tech fields such as microelectronics (etching over large surfaces with scales smaller than a few tens of nm) or nanotechnologies. This was made possible thanks to the increase of performances, reliability and miniaturization of the sources, which then made possible the adaptation of the sources to various technological applications.

Finally ECR sources are taken in consideration for various applications, for example by the NASA for ionic space propulsion, ordinary-temperature metallurgy, or for low-cost water purifying in developing countries.

 

MAIN AWARDS

1983 : French Science Academy Gegner prize.

1987 : CEA highest award.

1998 : Recipient of the French Academic Palms highest order.

2001 : Co-recipient with C. Lyneis  of the Bonner Prize of the American Physical Society.

2006 : Golden citizen of the city of Grenoble.

 

For many years, I did not accept any prize for my works. My only motivation was to understand an learn more about the mysteries of life, to distinguish between belief and knowledge and to find concrete solutions useful to society. Finally I am happy that thanks to these awards the work end the efforts of my colleagues have been recognized.

 

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writing of the first treatise on sources and ECR plasmas for the Institute of Physics : “ Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources and ECR Plasmas ,” IOP Press, 434 pages, in 1996.

 

Over 300 publications and 50 invited papers.

Publications since 2000 are on-line at  :

http://democrite.ccsd.cnrs.fr/view_by_stamp.php?label=LPSC&langue=fr&action_todo=byAuthorLab&which_firstletter=g&submit=1&which_author=r._geller

 

Some papers are arrange by topics as follows :

A) Vacuum technics

B) Atomic technics

C) ECR Plasma physics

D) ECR Ions Sources physics

E) Application of Multicharged ECRIS : Hadrontherapy, microelectronics and nanotechnology, accelerators and particle physics, nuclear physics, Surface treatments.

 

A) Vacuum technics

About 10  publications and especially :

La construction et l’utilisation du premier spectromètre détecteur de fuites industrielles.

Le vide (1955) 58. p 119

 

Lois du dégazage des matériaux sous vide.

Le vide (1957) 69. p 191 et (1958) 74. p71

 

Les pompes à Titane à surface froide.

Le vide (1970) 145 p14

 

B) Plasmas physics

About 10  publications and especially :

Découverte des plasmoïdes résonnants à la fréquence de plasma.

Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences (1959) 249 p 2749

 

Ondes ioniques stationnaires autoengendrées

Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences (1961) 253 p 1542

 

Travaux sur la diffusion des plasmas dans les champs magnétiques.

Jour. Nucl. Energy Part. C (1962) 4 p227

 

Travaux sur la diffusion anormale des plasmas dans les champs magnétiques.

Phys. Rev. Lett. (1962) 2.N°6

 

Construction et résultats du premier Bumpy-Torus.

Phys. Rev. Lett. (1963) 10.N°11 p463

 

 

C) ECR PLASMA physics

 

About 20 publications with  B.JACQUOT et al. and especially

 

Création, chauffage, accélération et confinement des plasmas formés par la résonance cyclotronique des électrons (RCE),

 

And 2 fundamental papers :

 

Comptes Rendus  de l’Academie des Sciences. (1966) 262. p1325

Comptes Rendus  de l’Academie des Sciences (1969) 269. p 621

 

 

D) ECR Ion Sources physics

About 20 papers, and 30 invited conférences invitées and especially :

 

A tutorial on the first ECR source

- Jour. Appl. Phys. Let. (1970) 16. N°10. p 401.

 

Applications of ECR ion sources to fusion injectors :

- Proc. Symp. On Production and Neutralization of Negatives Ions and Beams (1977), Brookhaven, BNL 50727, p.173.

 

Multicharged Ion Sources :

- IEEE Nucl. Sci. (1976), N.S. 26, p.2120.

- XIIème Int. Conf. Phen. Ion. Gas. Invited Lectures (1977), Berlin, p.103

- IEEE Nucl. Sc. (1976), 2, N.S. 23, p.995

- Proceed. 4^thInt. Workshop on ECR Ion Sources, Grenoble (mai 1982).

- Congrès de la SFP Grenoble (sept. 1983) p.75

- Production d’ions métalliques multichargés N.I.M. (1983) 213, N°2,3, p.165

- Phys. Scripta Acta (1983) 3, p.19

- Rev. Sc. Inst. (1985) 56, 8.

- Nucl. Inst. Method (1987) A254, p.13

- Annual Rev. of Nucl. Particle Science, Vol. 40 (1980) N°15

- Europhys News 22 (1991) p.8

 

Main invited conferences and published since 1985

- Proceed. 6^thInt. Workshop on ECR sources : The 16 Ghz ECRIS, Berkeley (janv. 1985).

- Proceed Conf. Phys. Multiply Charged Ions (sept. 1986), p.177; p245, Groningen.

- 13^thIntern. Conf. Cyclotrons, Tokyo (oct. 1986)

- Proceed 7^thInt. Workshop on ECR Sources : Jülich (may 1986).

- Lois d’échelles - Proceedings 8^thInt. Conference ECR Ion Sources Mich. State Univ. 1987 (NSCL Rep MSUCP 47).

- Lois d’échelles - Proceedings 9^thInt. Workshop ECR Source Grenoble 1988, Journal de Phys. T50, col C1.

- Généralités - Proceedings of 5^th - International Conference Ion Sources - Berkeley - Rev. Sci. Instr. 1990, Vol.  61, 1 p.II.

- Lois d’échelles - Proceedings 10^th Int. Workshop ECR Source Knoxville 1990 ORLN Conf. 9011136

- Physique des ECRIS - Proceedings 11^thInt. Workshop ECR Source - Groningen 1992, KVI Rep.996

-Physique des ECRIS - Proceedings 12^thInt. Workshop ECR Source - Riken 1995, ISN-J 182, Tokyo.

-30 years of ECRIS History, ECRIS2002, Jyvaskala June 2002.

- ECR Plasma Ion Trap : first experimental evidence of long range ion-ion collisions -Proc.

of the 11^th Intern Conf on Ions Sources, Caen (ICIS 2005).

 

E) APPLICATIONS OF ECR ION SOURCES

Team papers : (1980 - 1990)

- Phys. Let. (1983) 93, p.185

- Jour. Phys. (1983) B.16, p.2849

- Phys. Scripta (1983) 13 p.63

- Jour. Phys. (1983) B16, L243

- The Physics of Higly Ionised Atoms Ed. Silver-N.H.C. (1985), p.425

- Annual Rev. of Nucl&Part. Sc. (1981) 31, p.19

- Nucl. Inst. Meth (1984) 227, p.6

- Proc. Lin. Acc. Conf. GSI (1984) 84, 11, p.31 and p.337

- Heavy Ion Injector for the CERN Linac (1987) N.I.M. 04148

- Electron emission from metal surface bombarded by slow highly charged ions, Phys. Rev. B35, 9 (1987)

- The discovery of new transuranic elements and the role of the electron cyclotron resonance ion sources, Review of Scientific Instruments, vol.70, N°12, dec. 1999.

- Charge breeding of isotope on-line-created radioactive ions using an electron cyclotron resonance ion trap, Review of Scientific Instruments, vol.77, 2006.

 

Main invited papers since 1990 :

- Atomic Physics of Highly Charged Ions Proc. 5^thIntern. Conf. J.Liebig Univ. Giessen 1990.

- ISOL ECRIT (1+ n+) - Proceedings 6^thInt. - International Conference Ion Sources - Whistler   Rev. Sci. Instr. 1995, Vol.67,  3 p.II

- Généralités - Proceedings of 7^th - Conference of Ion Sources - Taormina - Rev. Sci. Instr. 1997, Vol.69, 2 p.II

- ISOL ECRIS (1+ n+) - Proceedings 13^thInt. Workshop ECR Source - College station 1997 - Texas A&M Univ.Rep.

- ISOL ECRIS (1+ n+) AIP International Conference Heavy Ion Accel. Techn. - Argonne AIP Proceed 473, 1998.

- ISOL ECRIT (1+ n+) - Proceedings 14^thInt. Workshop ECR Source - CERN 1999, ECRIS99 CERN P.S.

- Sources d’ions multichargées et cancerothérapie, Soc. Franç. Physique,  mai 2000.

- ISOL ECRIT (1+ n+) - Proceedings 8^thInt.  International Conference on  Ion Sources,  Kyoto (ICIS 2000),  Rev. Sci. Instr. 2000, Vol.70, 2.