ARIEL front end

The ARIEL project at TRIUMF will greatly expand the variety and availability of radioactive ion beams (RIBs) (Laxdal, Nucl Inst Methods Phys Res B 204:400–409, 2003). The ARIEL front end connects the two ARIEL target stations to the existing ISAC facility to expand delivery to two and eventually three simultaneous RIB beams with up to two simultaneous accelerated beams (Laxdal et al. 2008). The low-energy beam transport lines and mass separators are designed for maximum flexibility to allow a variety of operational modes in order to optimize the radioactive ion beam delivery. A new accelerator path is conceived for high mass delivery from an EBIS charge state breeder. The front-end design utilizes the experience gained in 15 years of ISAC beam delivery.     

An EBIS/T with integrated Penning trap

A special problem in atomic physics research with highly charged ions is to prepare ions with a unique charge state inside of EBIS or EBIT devices. On the other hand, there are great losses resulting from the transport of the ions from the source to an external trap. Therefore we are setting up an EBIS/T with internal Penning trap. This new set-up will be able to study electron–ion interaction with well-defined initial and final charge states, distinguishing between single step successive ionisation and multiple step ionisation of charge states similar to the crossed beams method but for much higher charge states. Another feature of this system is to determine with high precision the ion charge state distribution in the EBIS/T by application of Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR). This method allows the on-line monitoring of the ion distribution and the evolution of the charge state population together with its dependence on the degree of space charge compensation of the electron beam in the EBIS/T. It will be possible to study ion dynamics in compensated space charge potentials. In case of high homogeneity of the magnetic field in the trap region, experiments may be considered to measure directly binding energies of highly-charged ions and other topics of high resolution mass spectroscopy. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ATLAS用于CARIBU项目的ECR离子剥离器

A new radioactive beam facility for ATLAS,the Californium Rare Ion Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU), is under construction.The facility will use fission fragments from a 1 Ci ~(252)Cf source;thermalized and collected into a low-energy beam by a helium gas catcher.In order to reaccelerate these beams,the existing ATLAS ECR-I ion source is being redesigned to function as a charge breeder source.The design and features of this charge breeder configuration is discussed and the project status described.     

The REX-ISOLDE project

The Radioactive Beam Experiment REX-ISOLDE [1–3] is a pilot experiment at ISOLDE (CERN) testing the new concept of post acceleration of radioactive ion beams by using charge breeding of the ions in a high charge state ion source and the efficient acceleration of the highly charged ions in a short LINAC using modern ion accelerator structures. In order to prepare the ions for the experiments singly charged radioactive ions from the on-line mass separator ISOLDE will be cooled and bunched in a Penning trap, charge bred in an electron beam ion source (EBIS) and finally accelerated in the LINAC. The LINAC consists of a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, which accelerates the ions up to 0.3 MeV/u, an interdigital H-type (IH) structure with a final energy between 1.1 and 1.2 MeV/u and three seven gap resonators, which allow the variation of the final energy. With an energy of the radioactive beams between 0.8 MeV/u and 2.2 MeV/u a wide range of experiments in the field of nuclear spectroscopy, astrophysics and solid state physics will be addressed by REX-ISOLDE. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

High yields from the Stockholm electron beam ion source CRYSIS

CRYSIS is an electron beam ion source (EBIS) with a superconducting solenoid. Highly charged ions are delivered to the acceleration and storage ring CRYRING [ K. Abrahamsson et al., Nucl. Instr. Methods B 79 (1993) 269.], SMILETRAP [C. Carlberg et al., Phys. Scr. T 59 (1995) 196.] and to low energy atomic and surface physics experiments. Stable electron beam currents up to 700 mA are obtained, in order to enhance the ion yield out of the EBIS. Measurements of the total charge per pulse at different working conditions and electron beam current density measurements were done. At electron beam currents of 600 mA yields up to 2.5 × 10¹⁰ charges per pulse could be measured. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

聚焦慢速高荷态重离子束微束斑X射线源

利用电子束离子源(EBIS)或者电子束离子陷阱(EBIT)产生的慢速高电荷态重离子束轰击金属靶面,离子束与靶面作用并复合辐射特征X射线;并将高荷态离子束采用离子光学系统会聚为微细束后再与靶面作用,能够辐射出微米甚至亚微米级、纳米级的微束斑X射线.本文介绍这一新型微束斑X射线源的结构、机理及其特性等.     

Characteristics of highly charged ions produced at Kobe EBIS under modulated operation

The electron beam ion source (Kobe EBIS) has been developed to perform modification of surfaces using highly charged ions (HCIs) at the Kobe University, Japan. Recent study revealed that periodic intermission of electron beam improves charge state distribution of extracted ions. The period of intermission is in the order of 100 ms, and the width of beam-off time is 1 ms or less. This operational mode (pulse mode) makes it possible to produce Ar¹⁵⁺ to Ar¹⁷⁺ effectively, whereas the charge is limited less than 14+ under the ordinary operational mode with direct current (DC) electron beam. A spike of HCIs with a peak current in the order of nA is also observed at each moment of electron beam off. The measurement of the time evolution of Ar¹⁶⁺ intensity around the timing of mode change revealed that the intensity of extracted Ar¹⁶⁺ changes slowly after mode change with a time constant of few seconds.     

Phobis,a photon beam ion source for production of highly-charged ions

An ion source based on successive photoionization of trapped ions is now possible using high-brightness X rays from a modern synchrotron storage ring. Calculations based on the design parameters for the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven indicate that degrees of ionization and beam intensities should be comparable to those achieved with existing EBIS, ECRIS, or recoil-ion sources.     

Ionization of iridium ions in the Dresden EBIT studied by X-ray spectroscopy of direct excitation and radiative recombination processes

Ir^q+ ( 41≤q≤64) ions with open-shell configurations have been produced in the electron beam of the room-temperature Dresden Electron Beam Ion Trap (Dresden EBIT) at electron excitation energies from 2 keV to 13 keV. X-ray emission from direct excitation processes and radiative capture in krypton-like to aluminium-like iridium ions is measured with an energy dispersive Si(Li) detector. The detected X-ray lines are analyzed and compared with results from multiconfigurational Dirac-Fock (MCDF) atomic structure calculations. This allows to determine dominant produced ion charge states at different electron energies. The analysis shows that at the realized working gas pressure of 5×10^-9mbar for higher charged ions the maximum ion charge state is not preferently determined by the chosen electron beam energy needed for ionization of certain atomic substates, but by the balance between ionization and charge state reducing processes as charge exchange and radiative recombination. This behaviour is also discussed on the basis of model calculations for the resulting ion charge state distribution. Received 12 July 2001 and Received in final form 10 September 2001     

MAFF — The Munich accelerator for fission fragments

At the new high flux reactor FRM-II in Munich the accelerator MAFF (Munich accelerator for fission fragments) is under design. In the high neutron flux of 10¹⁴ n/cm² s up to 10¹⁴ neutron-rich fission fragments per second are produced in the 1 g U-235 target. Ions with an energy of 30 keV are extracted from the ion source. In the mass separator two isotopes can be selected. One of the beams is used for low energy experiments, the other one is injected into an ECRIS (or EBIS) for charge breeding to a q/A≥0.16. A gas filled RFQ cooler is used for emittance improvement. The subsequent LINAC delivers beams with an energy ranging from 3.7 MeV/u to 5.9 MeV/u. New IH structures are being developed at the Munich tandem laboratory. A small storage ring is planned in a further stage to recycle the fission fragments. A thin target foil can be placed into this ring, e.g., for synthesis of super-heavy elements. The through-going beam tube has been installed in the heavy water tank of the reactor. Tests of the target ion source in a special oven to test long term stability and safety tests were in progress.     

A high-current electron beam ion trap as an on-line charge breeder for the high precision mass measurement TITAN experiment

The precision of atomic mass measurements in a Penning trap is directly proportional to the charge state q of the ion and, hence, can be increased by using highly charged ions (HCI). For this reason, charge breeding with an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) is employed at TRIUMF’s Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN) on-line facility in Vancouver, Canada. By bombarding the injected and trapped singly charged ions with an intense beam of electrons, the charge state of the ions is rapidly increased inside the EBIT. To be compatible with the on-line requirements of short-lived isotopes, very high electron beam current densities are needed. The TITAN EBIT includes a 6 Tesla superconducting magnet and is designed to have electron beam currents and energies of up to 5 A and 60 keV, respectively. Once operational at full capacity, most species can be bred into a He-like configuration within tens of ms. Subsequently, the HCI are extracted, pass a Wien filter to reduce isobaric contamination, are cooled, and injected into a precision Penning trap for mass measurement. We will present the first results and current status of the TITAN EBIT, which has recently been moved to TRIUMF after assembly and commissioning at the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany.     

高电荷态ECR离子源引出束流4D 发射度测量仪设计

为了进一步探究高电荷态电子回旋共振(ECR) 离子源引出束流品质和横向相空间耦合情况,根据中国科学院近代物理研究所高电荷态离子源引出束流发射度测量需求,针对束流流强为1 eμA∼1 emA,能量范围为10∼35 keV/q 的直流或脉冲高电荷态重离子束,设计了一台实时四维Pepper-pot 发射度测量仪。该Pepper-pot 型发射度测量仪具有响应时间快和工作范围宽等特点。针对强流重离子束诊断的特点,在结构与材料选择上做了设计与优化,并对获得图像的处理方法提出了具体的解决办法。For the purpose of on-line beam quality diagnostics and transverse emittance coupling investigation of the ion beams delivered by an Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion source, a real-time 4D Pepper Pot type emittance scanner is under development at IMP(Institute of Moden Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences). The high charge state ECR ion source at IMP could produce CW or pulsed heavy ion beam intensities in the range of 1 eμA∼1 emA with the kinetic energy of 10∼35 keV/q, which needs the design of the Pepper Pot scanner to be optimized accordingly. The Pepper Pot scanner has many features, such as very short response time and wide dynamic working range that the device could be applied. Since intense heavy ion beam bombardment is expected for this device, the structure and the material selection for the device is specially considered during the design, and a feasible solution to analyze the pictures acquired after the data acquisition is also made.     

A Simple Ion Source for Monoenergetic Multiply Charged Ion Beams

A small and inexpensive electron beam ion source for multiply charged ions of noble gases is described. One of its essential characteristics is the low energy spread of the extracted ion beam, which depends on the charge state q of the ions and amounts to ∽q × 50 meV. The total ion current containing ionic states up to q = 6 is in the order of 10 nA. The design, construction and important parameters of the ion source are described.     

Positive ion extraction from plasma source and its application in fusion research

Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) is well established technique for heating tokamak plasma and is used in all fusion research programs [1–2]. In our Steady state Superconducting Tokamak (SST) machine [3], neutral hydrogen beam power of 0.5 MW at 30 kV is required to raise plasma ion temperature of ∼1 keV. Future upgrade of the SST will require 1.7 MW of H^o at 55 kV. To fulfill this requirement, an ion extractor system (heart of any NBI system) has been designed to extract 35A H⁺ beam current at 30 kV and of 90 A at 55 kV respectively [4]. In this paper, we have described the physics and ion beam optics study for an ion extraction system suitable for above mentioned long dynamic range of acceleration voltage. The ion beam optics simulation result is used as an input to the engineering design. After fabrication, its performance test has been done. The experimental results are in very good agreement with beam optics simulation.     

Probing a cooled beam of decelerated highly-charged heavy ions extracted out of the ESR by a channeling experiment

A cooled beam of decelerated highly-charged heavy ions is slowly extracted out of the cooler and storage ring ESR, by combining the deceleration technique and the charge exchange extraction mode. The quality of the external ion beam is tested by a channeling experiment. Bare Au⁷⁹⁺ ions are injected into the ESR at an energy of 360 MeV/u, decelerated to 53 MeV/u, and finally cooled strongly in the electron cooler. By breeding of neighboring charge state ions via radiative recombination in the electron cooler H-like ions are produced. The H-like ion fraction is extracted out of the storage ring. This extracted Au⁷⁸⁺ ion beam is probed by a channeling experiment measuring the extinction rate of the projectile Kα X-ray yield around the [110] axis of a thin silicon crystal. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The project SPES at LNL: Accelerator challenges

The Project SPES (study and production of exotic nuclei) aims at the full design of a facility based on a 100 MeV, 1–30 mA CW proton Linac used for production of fission fragments from a uranium like target by means of a neutron converter. Neutron rich ion species are extracted, selected, further ionized at high charge state, isotopically purified and then accelerated through a superconducting Linac at energies up to 20 MeV/A. SPES represents INFN’s effort in view of the construction of the European next generation ISOL-type facility, which is expected to be operative by 2010. A conceptual design report of such a European facility is being prepared with the support of the European Commission. R&D activities, covering the most critical parts of the facility, have been partially started in the last two years, triggered by the French-Italian feasibility study of an accelerator driven system for waste transmutation. On behalf of the SPES Collaboration     

Status of the EBIT in the ReA3 reaccelerator at NSCL

At the NSCL a reaccelerator with design end energy of 3 MeV/u for ²³⁸U, called ReA3, is approaching the end of construction. ReA3 will be coupled to a gas stopper at the NSCL fragmentation facility to provide rare-isotope beams of nuclides not available at ISOL facilities in this energy range. An Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) will be used to provide highly charged ions at an energy of about 12 keV/u. The charge breeder is followed by a room-temperature radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) and a series of superconducting linear accelerator structures. Initial commissioning results from the EBIT and its charge-over-mass separator are presented.     

Determination of the surface potential of a dielectric layer on a target bombarded by an ion beam

The electric field at the surface of a charge spot created by an ion beam on a dielectric coating of a target is calculated. An expression is obtained which relates the surface potential of the insulator to the potential of the collector corresponding to saturation of the collector secondary-electron current. It permits determination of the potential drop across the oxide layer of a cold cathode without introducing complications in the construction of the experimental apparatus. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 126–128 (September 1998)     

Magnetic moments of mirror nuclei with tilted-foil polarization

We report here on an ongoing experimental program initiated at the ISOLDE facility at CERN for the measurement of magnetic moments of short-lived radionuclides, with the emphasis on magnetic moments of mirror nuclei in far-from-stability regions. The nuclei are polarized by the tilted foil technique and the resulting 0–180^○ βasymmetry is monitored as a function of rf frequency applied in an NMR setup. In order to achieve sufficiently high energy for transmission through the foils, the experimental setup is mounted on a high voltage platform. The first experiment in this program was the measurement of the βasymmetry and the NMR resonance for the ground state of ²³Mg (I=3/2, T_1/2=11.3 s), yielding μ=−0.533(6) nm. Improvements to the experimental setup are presently being designed, to be used in conjunction with the new developments at ISOLDE for obtaining high charge-state ions from the EBIS (REX-ISOLDE) ion source. This will help pave the way for measurements of magnetic moments of T=3/2 nuclei in the s–d shell and of T=1/2 f-shell nuclei. The study of relaxation times and other solid-state phenomena in semiconductors and other materials of interest using this technique is also contemplated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The ion emissivity of a hollow-cathode non-self-sustained glow discharge

The paper presents the results of research of the mass-charge state of an ion beam extracted from the plasma of a hollow-cathode non-self-sustained glow discharge with a time-of-flight spectrometer. The influence of the discharge parameters on the mass-charge state of the beam is discussed. It has been shown that a drop in discharge operating voltage allows a substantial decrease in the metal-ion fraction of the beam, and an increase in discharge current results in an increase in the average charge of gas ions and in an increase in the metal fraction of the beam. Institute of High Current Electronics. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 14–20, February, 2000.