Resonant Ionization Laser Ion Source Project at TRIUMF

Resonant laser excitation and ionisation is one of the most successful tools for the selective production of radioactive ion beams (RIB) at on-line mass separator facilities. TRIUMF plans to augment the current ion sources with a resonant ionisation laser ion source (RILIS), to use the high production yields from the target, as shown by the delivery of 3*10⁴/s ¹¹Li ions from a standard target ion source with surface ionisation. The development and installation of TRIUMF's RILIS (TRILIS) is necessary to provide beams of short lived isotopes that conventional ion sources could not produce in sufficient intensity and purity for nuclear-, and nuclear astrophysics- experiments. A laser system consisting of three tunable titanium–sapphire (TiSa) lasers with frequency doubling and tripling was employed to demonstrate first off-line resonance ionisation of Ga, and is being installed for first on-line test and a run on ⁶²Ga in December 2004.     

Ionization Scheme Development at the ISOLDE RILIS

The resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) of the ISOLDE on-line isotope separation facility is based on the method of laser step-wise resonance ionization of atoms in a hot metal cavity. The atomic selectivity of the RILIS complements the mass selection process of the ISOLDE separator magnets to provide beams of a chosen isotope with greatly reduced isobaric contamination. Using a system of dye lasers pumped by copper vapour lasers, ion beams of 24 elements have been generated at ISOLDE with ionization efficiencies in the range of 0.5–15%. As part of the ongoing RILIS development off-line resonance ionization spectroscopy studies carried out in 2003 and 2004 have determined the optimal three-step ionization schemes for scandium, antimony, dysprosium and yttrium.     

In-source laser spectroscopy developments at TRILIS—towards spectroscopy on actinium and scandium

Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Sources (RILIS) have become a versatile tool for production and study of exotic nuclides at Isotope Separator On-Line (ISOL) facilities such as ISAC at TRIUMF. The recent development and addition of a grating tuned spectroscopy laser to the TRIUMF RILIS solid state laser system allows for wide range spectral scans to investigate atomic structures on short lived isotopes, e.g., those from the element actinium, produced in uranium targets at ISAC. In addition, development of new and improved laser ionization schemes for rare isotope production at ISAC is ongoing. Here spectroscopic studies on bound states, Rydberg states and autoionizing (AI) resonances on scandium using the existing off-line capabilities are reported. These results allowed to identify a suitable ionization scheme for scandium via excitation into an autoionizing state at 58,104 cm^???1 which has subsequently been used for ionization of on-line produced exotic scandium isotopes.     

26 Al beam production by a solid state laser ion source at TRIUMF

Many experiments carried out at radioactive beam facilities require the production of intense, isotopically clean and isobar free beams of a particular isotope. At TRIUMF the addition of a resonant ionization laser ion source (TRILIS) enables a multitude of new beams and therefore new experiments to be carried out. ²⁶Al was one of the first radioactive ion beams delivered to an experiment using TRILIS. This paper outlines the development of the ²⁶Al ion beam for nuclear astrophysics.      

ORNL developments in laser ion sources for radioactive ion beam production

The development of a resonant ionization laser ion source (RILIS) for the production of isotopically pure radioactive ion beams is reported. The application of the laser ion source calls for high elemental selectivity, high efficiency, and fast release of short-lived isotopes. A hot-cavity ion source and three Ti:sapphire lasers pulsed at a 10 kHz rate are employed for the RILIS. The Ti:sapphire lasers have been upgraded with individual pump lasers to eliminate intracavity Pockels cells and output losses due to synchronization delays. The development of ionization schemes for a wide range of elements is important to the success of Ti:sapphire-laser-based RILIS. In off-line studies with stable isotopes, resonant ionization of 14 elements has been studied, leading to new ionization schemes for ten elements. The absolute ionization efficiency of the hot-cavity RILIS has been measured to range from 0.9 % to 40 % for different elements. The mechanisms for ion transportation and confinement in the hot-cavity ion source have been studied using the temporal profiles of the laser-ionized ions. The hot-cavity RILIS has provided beams of neutron-rich $^{83,85,86}$ Ga isotopes for beta decay studies and enabled the first measurement of the beta decay of the exotic $^{86}$ Ga.     

Development of a RILIS ionisation scheme for gold at ISOLDE, CERN

At the ISOLDE on-line isotope separation facility, the resonance ionisation laser ion source (RILIS) can be used to ionise reaction products as they effuse from the target. The RILIS process of laser step-wise resonance ionisation of atoms in a hot metal cavity provides a highly element selective stage in the preparation of the radioactive ion beam. As a result, the ISOLDE mass separators can provide beams of a chosen isotope with greatly reduced isobaric contamination. With the addition of a new three-step ionisation scheme for gold, the RILIS is now capable of ionising 26 of the elements. The optimal scheme was determined during an extensive study of the atomic energy levels and auto-ionising states of gold, carried out by means of in-source resonance ionisation spectroscopy. Details of the ionisation scheme and a summary of the spectroscopy study are presented.     

Yttrium ionization scheme development for Ti:Sa laser based RILIS

Resonant ionization laser ion sources (RILIS) are popular ion sources if intense, radioactive ion beams (RIBs) with minimal isobaric contamination are required. The intensity of the ion beam depends strongly on the applied resonant laser ionization scheme. Based on the all solid state laser system TRIUMF’s RILIS (TRILIS) is using, the off-line development towards an efficient ionization scheme for yttrium is presented. Several continuous wavelength scans have been performed to compare different nonresonant ionization schemes and to identify suitable Rydberg or autoionizing states for resonant ionization schemes.     

Development Towards a Laser Ion Source Trap for the Production of Exotic Species

A new type of resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) is presently being developed and tested at the off-line mass separator at Mainz University for future use at on-line exotic rare isotopes production facilities. For highest isobaric selectivity, this RILIS approach decouples the evaporation and ionization process. A further advantage is the generation of full temporal control of the resulting high quality ion beam. These facts are realized by a combination of atomizer – ion repeller – ion cooler and trap, which is operated together with a state-of-the-art, all solid state laser system. The principle and performance of this laser ion source trap (LIST) system are discussed applying simulation studies for the repeller-trap combination and first measurements for characterization.     

Laser ionization in β decay studies of Zn and Mn nuclei

Resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) technique has been used in the β-decay studies of ⁵⁹Mn and ⁵⁸Zn. The importance of the RILIS for production of these elements is discussed. The properties of the low-lying levels of the studied nuclei are discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Segmented linear radiofrequency quadrupole/laser ion source project at TRIUMF

Reactions such as ²⁵Al(p,γ)²⁶Si are the key to understand the production of ^26g Al and ^26m Al in our galaxy. Experimental results could provide important constraints on nova nucleosynthesis and modelling where ²⁶Al is believed to be produced. To achieve such measurements, high-intensity and high-purity radioactive beams are required. However, production targets at ISOL-type facilities such as ISAC at TRIUMF produce high-intensity alkali beams by surface ionization on hot transfer tubes hampering the measurement of isotopes of interest. To overcome this issue, an ion source combining a segmented linear radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) to a laser ion source is being built. Its main function is to suppress alkali impurities whilst allowing for fast-release of short-lived isotopes. The beam production method, the RFQ/laser ion source and the removal of alkali contaminants are discussed in this paper.     

Laser-driven generation of fast particles

The great progress in high-peak-power laser technology has resulted recently in the production of ps and subps laser pulses of PW powers and relativistic intensities (up to 10²¹ W/cm²) and has laid the basis for the construction of multi-PW lasers generating ultrarelativistic laser intensities (above 10²³ W/cm²). The laser pulses of such extreme parameters make it possible to produce highly collimated beams of electrons or ions of MeV to GeV energies, of short time durations (down to subps) and of enormous currents and current densities, unattainable with conventional accelerators. Such particle beams have a potential to be applied in numerous fields of scientific research as well as in medicine and technology development. This paper is focused on laser-driven generation of fast ion beams and reviews recent progress in this field. The basic concepts and achievements in the generation of intense beams of protons, light ions, and multiply charged heavy ions are presented. Prospects for applications of laser-driven ion beams are briefly discussed.     

Isomer separation and measurement of nuclear moments with the ISOLDE RILIS

Short-lived radioisotopes are element selectively ionized by the resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) of the on-line isotope separator ISOLDE (CERN). The relative production of low and high spin isomers can be significantly changed when a narrow-bandwidth laser is used to scan through the atomic hyperfine structure. This allows the assignment of gamma ray transitions to the decay of the individual isomers. Moreover, the measurement of the hyperfine splitting provides a very sensitive method for the determination of magnetic moments of exotic isotopes. The technical developments are discussed for the example of copper. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Collinear laser spectroscopy with reverse-extracted bunched beams at TRIUMF

Collinear laser spectroscopy with reverse-extracted cooled bunched beams was performed at TRIUMF with radioactive ion beams. Surface-ionized ^78,78mRb ions were injected into TITAN??s cooler-buncher, and reverse-extracted to the laser beam line. There they were neutralised and excited with a counter-propagating laser beam. The fluorescence signal from the D ₂ line was recorded with a photomultiplier tube. The cooler provided typically 50 ion bunches per second, with each bunch containing approximately 10⁵ ions, temporally distributed with a 1.6 ??s width. A hardware gate was set on the signal, suppressing the background by four orders of magnitude.     

Beta-decay experiments of neutral atoms in a magneto-optical trap

Magneto optical traps (MOT) allow the cooling and storing of neutral atoms in a volume of a few cubic millimeters by use of laser beams and a magnetic field. Such devices offer new and exciting opportunities for precision measurements of radioactive isotopes. Here we present experiments performed with a double-MOT system coupled to the on-line separator TISOL at TRIUMF/Vancouver, Canada. For the first time, the Β-decay of free atoms stored in such a device could be observed. We report on coincidence measurements between beta-particles and the argon recoils in the decay of ³⁷K and ³⁸rm{m}}K. The charge state ratios of the recoil-ions were deduced by Time-Of-Flight separation in an acceleration field. The final goal of those investigations is a precision test of the Standard Model by measuring the –nu-correlation parameter a. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The ISOLDE RILIS pump laser upgrade and the LARIS Laboratory

On account of its high efficiency, speed and unmatched selectivity, the Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) is the preferred method for ionizing the nuclear reaction products at the ISOLDE on-line isotope separator facility. By exploiting the unique electronic energy level ‘fingerprint’ of a chosen element, the RILIS process of laser step-wise resonance ionization enables an ion beam of high chemical purity to be sent through the mass selective separator magnet. The isobaric purity of a beam of a chosen isotope is therefore greatly increased. The RILIS, comprising of up to three frequency tunable pulsed dye lasers has been upgraded with the installation of a Nd:YAG pump laser as a replacement for the old Copper Vapor Laser (CVL) system. A summary of the current Nd:YAG pumped RILIS performance is given. To accompany the RILIS pump laser upgrade, a new ionization scheme for manganese has been developed at the newly constructed LAser Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (LARIS) laboratory and successfully applied for on-line RILIS operation. An overview of the LARIS facility is given along with details of the ionization scheme development work for manganese.     

Study of the neutron deficient 182–190Pb isotopes by simultaneous atomic- and nuclear-spectroscopy

Mean-square charge radii and magnetic moments have been measured for the neutron deficient lead isotopes, ^182–190Pb. The measurement was performed at the ISOLDE online mass separator, using the in-source resonance ionization spectroscopy technique. The wavelength of the first excitation step for the resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) was scanned over the resonance(s) whilst the α- and γ-ray spectra from the decay of the Pb isotopes were recorded as a function of the wavelength. The isotope shift and, in the case of odd-A isotopes, the hyperfine splitting were deduced. The rms-charge radii of the very neutron deficient Pb isotopes follow the smooth trend of the heavier isotopes. This finding indicates a spherical shape for the lead ground states at the neutron mid-shell (N = 104), where the excitation energy of the oblate 0⁺ state in the even isotopes reaches its minimum.     

Beta-decay branching ratios of 62Ga

Beta-decay branching ratios of ⁶²Ga have been measured at the IGISOL facility of the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyv?skyl?. ⁶²Ga is one of the heavier T _z = 0 , 0⁺ → 0⁺ β -emitting nuclides used to determine the vector coupling constant of the weak interaction and the V_ud quark-mixing matrix element. For part of the experimental studies presented here, the JYFLTRAP facility has been employed to prepare isotopically pure beams of ⁶²Ga . The branching ratio obtained, BR = 99.893(24) %, for the super-allowed branch is in agreement with previous measurements and allows to determine the ft value and the universal Ft value for the super-allowed β -decay of ⁶²Ga .     

Production of Nuclear Polarization of Na Isotopes at ISAC/TRIUMF and its Hyperfine Interaction

Hyperfine interactions of Na isotopes in single crystals have been studied using highly nuclear polarized ^{20,21,26,27,28}Na beams provided by ISAC/TRIUMF. The degree of polarization kept in the crystals, the spin-lattice relaxation times, the electric quadrupole coupling constants and the initial distribution of the populations were measured. Such knowledge is indispensable for the application of the hyperfine interactions in the study of precision measurements such as the nuclear structure through nuclear moments and the fundamental symmetries.     

Grating tuned Ti:Sa laser for in-source spectroscopy of Rydberg and autoionizing states

Due to the large absorption cross section for optical transitions into Rydberg and autoionizing states compared to non-resonant ionization, these states are of particular interest for use in efficient laser resonance ionization excitation schemes as used in Resonant Ionization Laser Ion Sources (RILIS). In order to identify these atomic states extensive laser spectroscopy has to be performed. The lasers employed at TRIUMF’s laser ion source are birefringent filter tuned titanium:sapphire (Ti:Sa) lasers which are designed for long term frequency stability rather than continuous tuning. The design and characteristics of a grating tuned, high repetition rate, pulsed Ti:Sa laser for spectroscopy applications are presented. This laser allows fast scans of up to 40 THz with a laser linewidth of approximately 6 GHz. First tests were performed by scanning across the Rydberg series of gallium.