Cooling of short-lived, radioactive, highly charged ions with the TITAN cooler Penning trap

TITAN is an on-line facility dedicated to precision experiments with short-lived radioactive isotopes, in particular mass measurements. The achievable resolution on mass measurement, which depends on the excitation time, is limited by the half life of the radioactive ion. One way to bypass this is by increasing the charge state of the ion of interest. TITAN has the unique capability of charge-breeding radioactive ions using an electron-beam ion trap (EBIT) in combination with Penning trap mass spectrometry. However, the breeding process leads to an increase in energy spread, ??E, which in turn negatively influences the mass uncertainty. We report on the development of a cooler Penning trap which aims at reducing the energy spread of the highly charged ions prior to injection into the precision mass measurement trap. Electron and proton cooling will be tested as possible routes. Mass selective cooling techniques are also envisioned.     

Numerical investigations on resistive cooling of trapped highly charged ions

The investigation of simple atomic systems in extreme electromagnetic fields with highest precision demands intense beams of heavy and highly charged ions to be decelerated and cooled to extremely low energies for long-time observation. Resistive cooling, i.e., the electronic dissipation of energy of a stored ion cloud on an external impedance, seems to be a good candidate for in-trap cooling of highly charged ions and has been chosen for the upcoming HITRAP (Highly charged Ion TRAP) facility at GSI, Darmstadt. Nevertheless, resistive cooling of large ensembles of ions confined in a Penning trap has never been thoroughly studied until now and the understanding of this highly nonlinear phenomenon is far from complete. Through the use of systematic simulations we give a proof of the feasibility of resistive cooling of large numbers of highly charged ions as well as the interpretation of some specific features observed experimentally.     

Evaporative cooling and coherent axial oscillations of highly charged ions in a penning trap

Externally, in an electron beam ion trap, generated Ar16+ ions were retrapped in a Penning trap and evaporatively cooled in their axial motion. The cooling was observed by a novel extraction technique based on the excitation of a coherent axial oscillation which yields short ion bunches of well-defined energies. The initial temperature of the ion cloud was decreased by a factor of more than 140 within 1?s, while the phase-space density of the coldest extracted ion pulses was increased by a factor of up to about 9.     

Preparing a laser cooled plasma for stopping highly charged ions

We present a new cooling scheme for the preparation of highly charged ions for future in-trap precision experiments. A plasma of laser cooled ²⁴Mg⁺ ions trapped in a 3D harmonic confinement potential is used as a stopping medium for the highly charged ions. We focus on the dynamic evolution of the plasma, determining suitable cooling conditions for fast recooling of the ²⁴Mg⁺ ions. The results of a realistic parallel simulation of the complete stopping process presented here indicate that a small, constant detuning of the laser frequency is sufficient for subsequent recooling of the plasma, thus maintaining the stability of the plasma.     

Beta decay of highly charged ions

Ion storage rings and ion traps provide the very first opportunity to address nuclear beta decay under conditions prevailing in hot stellar plasmas during nucleosynthesis, i.e. at high atomic charge states. Experiments are summarized that were performed in this field during the last decade at the ion storage-cooler ring ESR in Darmstadt. Special emphasis is given to the first observation of bound-state beta decay, where the created electron remains bound in an inner orbital of the daughter atom. The impact of this specific ‘stellar’ decay mode for s-process nucleosynthesis as well as for nuclear ‘eon clocks’ is outlined. Finally, a new technique, single-ion decay spectroscopy, is presented, where one observes two-body beta decay characteristics (i.e. orbital electron capture or bound-state beta decay) of highly charged, single ions for well-defined nuclear and atomic quantum states of both the mother – and the daughter – ion.     

Hyperfine structure of highly charged ions

¹⁹⁷Au Mössbauer spectra from Au/TM (TM = Fe, Co, Ni) multilayers consist mainly of two components. One component shows a large hyperfine magnetic field due to the hybridization at the interface between Au and ferromagnetic layers. The other component is nonmagnetic arising from the middle part of the Au layers. From the fractional area of the magnetic components in each spectrum, the Au atoms in 0.4 nm Au layers are perturbed by the Fe and Ni layers, and Co layers perturb 0.3 nm Au layers at the interface.     

Optical detection system for laser cooling and precision laser spectroscopy of relativistic highly charged ions at the CSRe

Laser cooling and precision laser spectroscopy experiments of relativistic highly charged ions are being prepared at the heavy-ion experimental cooler storage ring (CSRe). Optical detection of fluorescence photons, emitted from the laser-excited ions, is extremely important for both powerful methods. In this paper, we briefly report on the current status of the existing optical detectors and also on their performance during laser cooling of relativistic Li-like ¹⁶O⁵⁺ ion beams at the CSRe. In addition, we introduce the designs for our new optical detection systems, which have much higher photon detection efficiencies and can cover a much broader wavelength range. These detector systems will be used for the upcoming laser spectroscopy experiment of Li-like ¹⁶O⁵⁺ ions, as well as for future laser spectroscopy experiments with other highly charged ions.     

高剥离态Au、U离子电离势的相对论计算

采用全相对论量子力学GRASP 2程序平均能级AL模型,考虑到核的有限体积效应、Breit和QED效应,系统地计算了金和铀的高剥离态的部分离子态的电离势,将所得的计算结果和文献报道的实验值进行比较.结果表明,考虑高剥离态原子的高阶修正后,高剥离态离子的电离势的计算值与实验数据之间的误差基本消除.     

Cold highly charged ions in a cryogenic Paul trap

Narrow optical transitions in highly charged ions (HCIs) are of particular interest for metrology and fundamental physics, exploiting the high sensitivity of HCIs to new physics. The highest sensitivity for a changing fine structure constant ever predicted for a stable atomic system is found in Ir^17?+?. However, laser spectroscopy of HCIs is hindered by the large (～ 10⁶ K) temperatures at which they are produced and trapped. An unprecedented improvement in such laser spectroscopy can be obtained when HCIs are cooled down to the mK range in a linear Paul trap. We have developed a cryogenic linear Paul trap in which HCIs will be sympathetically cooled by ⁹Be^?+? ions. Optimized optical access for laser light is provided while maintaining excellent UHV conditions. The Paul trap will be connected to an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) which is able to produce a wide range of HCIs. This EBIT will also provide the first experimental input needed for the determination of the transition energies in Ir^17?+?, enabling further laser-spectroscopic investigations of this promising HCI.     

Precision laser spectroscopy of highly charged ions

Recently, intense beams of highly charged ions have become available at heavy ion cooler rings. The obstacle for producing these highly interesting candidates is the large binding energy of K-shell electrons in heavy systems in excess of 100 keV. One way to remove these electrons is to strip them off by passing the ion through material. In the cooler ring, the ions are cooled to a well defined velocity. At the SIS/ESR complex it is possible to produce, store, and cool highly charged ions up to bare uranium with intensities exceeding 10⁸ atoms in the ring. This opens the door for precision laser spectroscopy of hydrogenlike-heavy ions, e.g.²⁰⁹Bi⁸²⁺, and allows to examine the interaction of the single electron with the large fields of the heavy nucleus, exceeding any artificially produced electric and magnetic fields by orders of magnitude. In the electron cooler the interaction of electrons and highly charged ions otherwise only present in the hottest plasmas can be studied.     

Laser spectroscopy for QED tests in highly charged ions

An overview on laser spectroscopic work on highly charged ions (HCI) currently performed or in preparation at GSI is given. This includes laser spectroscopy on HCI in ion traps at the HITRAP facility and at the experimental storage ring (ESR).     

Relativistic calculations of electron-impact ionization for highly charged hydrogen-like ions

Electron-impact ionization cross-sections and rate coefficients of the 1s ground state for H-like C, O, Mg, Ar, Fe, Cu, As, Kr, Y, Mo ions with incident electron energies up to 15 times the ionization threshold energy have been systematically calculated by the relativistic distorted-wave Born exchange (DWBE) approximation. The comparison of the result with the experimental data, other theoretical calculations and recommended values shows the very good agreement. The influence from relativistic and the lowest order QED effect in the calculation is discussed. The calculated ionization cross-sections are fitted by empirical formulas. These fits can be readily integrated over a relativistic Maxwellian electron distribution function to obtain rate coefficient for plasma modeling.     

Transport of intense beams of highly charged ions

The new generation of ion sources delivers beams with intensities of several mA. This requires a careful design of the analysing system and the low-energy beam transport (LEBT) from the source to the subsequent systems. At INFN-LNS, high intensity proton sources (TRIPS [L. Celona, G. Ciavola, S. Gammino et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75(5) 1423 (2004)], PM-TRIPS [G. Ciavola, L. Celona, S. Gammino et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75(5) 1453 (2004)]) as well as ECR ion sources for the production of highly charged high-intensity heavy ion beams are developed (SERSE [S. Gammino, G. Ciavola, L. Celona et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 72(11) 4090 (2001), and references therein], GyroSERSE [S. Gammino et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75(5) 1637 (2004)], MS-ECRIS [G. Ciavola et al., (2005), 11th Int. Conf. on Ion Sources, Caen, (in press)]).

In this paper, we present ion-optical design studies of various LEBT systems for ion-sources devoted to the production of intense beams. Calculations were performed using the computer codes GIOS [H. Wollnik, J. Brezina and M. Berz, NIM A 258 (1987)], GICO [M. Berz, H.C. Hoffmann, and H. Wollnik, NIM A 258 (1987)], and TRANSPORT [K.L. Brown, F. Rothacker and D.C. Carey, SLAC-R-95-462, Fermilab-Pub-95/069, UC-414 (1995)]. Simulations take into account the expected phase space growth of the beam emittance due to space-charge effects and image aberrations introduced by the magnetic elements.     

The spectral lines of highly charged gold ions

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of highly charged gold were produced with an electron beam ion trap at the University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo. The X-ray spectra (3240–3360?eV) of Au with well-defined maximum charge states ranging from Cu- to Se-like ions were recorded. Guided by configuration interaction calculations, the strongest 3d–5f transitions have been well defined.     

高电荷态金属离子的产生实验研究

 为满足兰州重离子加速器的实验要求，在14.5GHz高电荷态ECR离子源上做了一系列产生金属离子的实验，尝试了多种方法，包括炉子加热及MIVOC（Metallic Ion form Volatile Compounds）两种方法，其中，用炉子做的结果较理想。实验主要研究了铜、锌、镍多种电荷态离子的产生，具有代表性的是39euA的¹³⁺，30euA的Zn¹³⁺和29euA的Ni¹⁰⁺。分别给出了这三种金属离子产生的多电荷态束流峰谱图，以及实验的一些其它现象及结果，并对其进行了讨论与总结。     

Electron impact excitation of highly charged sodium-like ions

Oscillator strengths, transition probabilities and collision strengths for transitions between n = 3 and n = 4 levels in Ca(X), Fe(XVI), Zn(XX), Kr(XXVI) and Mo(XXXII) have been calculated in a non-relativistic approximation. Wave functions of excited states have been obtained using a semi-empirical procedure. Collision strengths for electron-impact excitation have been calculated in a distorted wave approximation without exchange.Relative intensities of certain emission lines in the sodium isoelectronic sequence are density dependent. An example of this dependence is discussed in the text.     

Interaction of slow highly charged ions with surfaces

We show how a classical approach can be used to model electronic processes taking place when slow highly charged ions collide with surfaces. In particular we derive expressions for the distance of the first charge flow and for the image energy gain of an ion of chargeq outside a surface described by a workfunctionW and a static dielectric constant ?.     

高电荷态金属离子的产生实验研究

为满足兰州重离子加速器的实验要求,在14.5GHz高电荷态ECR离子源上做了一系列产生金属离子的实验,尝试了多种方法,包括炉子加热及MIVOC（Metallic Ion form Volatile Compounds）两种方法,其中,用炉子做的结果较理想。实验主要研究了铜、锌、镍多种电荷态离子的产生,具有代表性的是39euA的13+,30euA的Zn13+和29euA的Ni10+。分别给出了这三种金属离子产生的多电荷态束流峰谱图,以及实验的一些其它现象及结果,并对其进行了讨论与总结。