The first test of the Isotope On-Line Separator (ISOLDE) installation at the 600 MeV CERN Synchro Cyclotron.

When ISOLDE began operation, it was unique in the world. It used a new technique to overcome the problem of rapidly separating interesting atoms from the rest of the nuclear target. Through a combination of chemical and electromagnetic methods the different isotopes were separated and converted into an ion beam made of just one isotope. On-line production of radioactive nuclei, in this way, offered many new opportunities for physicists as it allowed them to perform previously impossible experiments on short-lived nuclei. ISOLDE has become one of CERN's major installations and it supports a broad scientific programme by providing beams to different experiments. The techniques developed at ISOLDE have opened up a new field of radioactive ion-beam accelerators, both at CERN and worldwide.