| Gaia: | The neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN, Switzerland, operational since 2001, delivers
neutrons using the Proton Synchrotron (PS) 20 GeV/c proton beam impinging on a lead spallation
target. The facility combines a very high instantaneous neutron flux, an excellent time of flight
resolution due to the distance between the experimental area and the production target (185 meters),
a low intrinsic background and a wide range of neutron energies, from thermal to GeV neutrons.
These characteristics provide a unique possibility to perform neutron-induced capture and fission
cross-section measurements for applications in nuclear astrophysics and in nuclear reactor
technology.
The most relevant measurements performed up to now and foreseen for the future will be presented
in this contribution. The overall efficiency of the experimental program and the range of possible
measurements achievable with the construction of a second experimental area (EAR-2), vertically
located 20 m on top of the n_TOF spallation target, might offer a substantial improvement in
measurement sensitivities. A feasibility study of the possible realisation of the installation
extension will be also presented.
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