A hot cavity laser ion source at IGISOL

A development program is underway at the IGISOL (Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line) facility, University of Jyväskylä, to efficiently and selectively produce low-energy radioactive ion beams of silver isotopes and isomers, with a particular interest in N = Z ⁹⁴Ag . A hot cavity ion source has been installed, based on the FEBIAD (Forced Electron Beam Induced Arc Discharge) technique, combined with a titanium:sapphire laser system for selective laser ionization. The silver recoils produced via the heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reaction, ⁴⁰Ca(⁵⁸Ni, p3n)⁹⁴Ag , are stopped in a graphite catcher, diffused, extracted and subsequently ionized using a three-step laser ionization scheme. The performance of the different components of the hot cavity laser ion source is discussed and initial results using stable ^{107, 109}Ag are presented.