Sources for production of radioactive ion-beams

The possibility to accelerate unstable nuclei is presently considered to be one of the major opportunities of nuclear physics. Around the world a rising number of laboratories are engaged in the operation, construction or planning of accelerators dedicated to production of radioactive ion beams (RIB) with energies above the Coulomb barrier. This report reviews the special ion-source technique which is used to produce such secondary beams suitable for injection into an accelerating structure. A short introduction is given to the already well developed ion source and target technique in which on-line nuclear reactions are used continuously to produce and refine the unstable source feed material and convert it into a low energy singly charged DC beam. Emphasis is then given to a discussion of the techniques applied to fulfil the particular new requirements set to the radioactive ion sources in order efficiently match modern accelerators