TRIUMF : TRIUMF is the major Canadian facility for subatomic physics; it is also of international note as a facility for intermediate energy physics. It is located on the campus of the University of British Columbia, and is run as a joint venture by several Canadian universities. TRIUMF was originally named an abbreviation for Tri-University Meson Facility (SFU, UBC, UVic) however because additional universities became involved - U of Alberta as part of the joint venture consortium, and then at least six associate members - "TRIUMF" is no longer an abbreviation.
The facility's original central feature was a uniquely designed, sector-focused cyclotron capable of accelerating negative hydrogen ions to energies of up to 520 MeV (as of ca. 1990). The design permitted proton beam extraction through up to six separate ports for experiments with protons, mesons (pions and muons) and neutrons. The facility was used for both basic and applied research. Applied programs included those related to medical diagnosis, the production of radioisotopes for pharmaceutical purposes and the analysis of mineral ores. Since, many other experimental facilities have been added in addition to the cyclotron.
The involvement of the Government of Canada in TRIUMF is substantial, at least financially. The TRIUMF facility was approved in principle by Cabinet on 21 November 1967 (728/67). Federal funding for construction followed the next year, and continued through the facility's first two decades, a period during which over 85% of TRIUMF's funding was provided by the Government of Canada. Financial support was originally provided by means of grants through the Atomic Energy Control Board's allotment and then, as of April 1976, through annual contributions from the NRC. (Additional grants were also provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.) In other words, although TRIUMF is a joint venture between many universities, the Government of Canada has, overall, funded the accelerator, beam lines, experimental equipment and operations; the land, buildings and some administrative services have been provided by the universities (and the province of British Columbia).
TRIUMF is also responsible for acting as Canada's main connection with CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) and supplying components that form Canada's contribution to international scientific infrastructure such as the Large Hadron Collider.
