The Bucharest FN Tandem Accelerator: Modernization and Development

The Bucharest FN tandem accelerator, installed in 1973 and upgraded in 1983 to 9 MV, has been used for atomic and nuclear physics studies as well as for different applications using accelerated ion beams. In the last three years a program of modernization of the tandem accelerator including the replacement of the old accelerator equipment by new ones, installation of a pelletron system for the Van de Graaff generator and installation of new negative ion injectors was undertaken. In parallel a development of the tandem accelerator was started. In 2009, a beam pulsing system in the nanosecond range is scheduled to be installed. All these works aimed to transform the tandem accelerator in a reliable and efficient tool for research and applications are presented. The main lines of the research program at the Bucharest tandem accelerator are shortly presented too.