The ISOLDE facility

The CERN on-line isotope separator facility ISOLDE is a unique tool for studying problems in nuclear, atomic, surface and solid state physics, nuclear medicine and astrophysics. Protons in very short high intensity pulses from the PS Booster are directed on either one of the targets of the two on-line mass separators. The 60 keV ions from them are fed into a common beam transport system to which most of the experiments are connected. The layout of the facility is presented and a detailed description of the two mass separators and the beam distribution system is given. Also the problems of radiation shielding and of the handling of radioactivity are discussed.