A. Chaudhuri

The on-line charge breeding program at TRIUMF's Ion Trap For Atomic and Nuclear Science for precision mass measurements

TRIUMFs Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN) constitutes the only high precision mass measurement setup coupled to a rare isotope facility capable of increasing the charge state of short-lived nuclides prior to the actual mass determination in a Penning trap. Recent developments around TITANs charge breeder, the electron beam ion trap, form the basis for several successful experiments on radioactive isotopes with half-lives as low as 65 ms and in charge states as high as 22+.

TITAN's digital RFQ ion beam cooler and buncher, operation and performance

We present a description of the Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) ion trap built as part of the TITAN facility. It consists of a gas-filled, segmented, linear Paul trap and is the first stage of the TITAN setup with the purpose of cooling and bunching radioactive ion beams delivered from ISAC-TRIUMF. This is the first such device to be driven digitally, i.e., using a high voltage (Vpp=400V), wide bandwidth (0.2<f<1.2MHz) square-wave as compared to the typical sinusoidal wave form. Results from the commissioning of the device as well as systematic studies with stable and radioactive ions are presented including efficiency measurements with stable 133Cs and radioactive 124,126Cs. A novel and unique mode of operation of this device is also demonstrated where the cooled ion bunches are extracted in reverse mode, i.e., in the same direction as previously injected.

Breakdown of the Isobaric Multiplet Mass Equation for the A = 20 and 21 Multiplets

Using the Penning trap mass spectrometer TITAN, we performed the first direct mass measurements of (20,21)Mg, isotopes that are the most proton-rich members of the A = 20 and A = 21 isospin multiplets. These measurements were possible through the use of a unique ion-guide laser ion source, a development that suppressed isobaric contamination by 6 orders of magnitude. Compared to the latest atomic mass evaluation, we find that the mass of (21)Mg is in good agreement but that the mass of (20)Mg deviates by 3 σ. These measurements reduce the uncertainties in the masses of (20,21)Mg by 15 and 22 times, respectively, resulting in a significant departure from the expected behavior of the isobaric multiplet mass equation in both the A = 20 and A = 21 multiplets. This presents a challenge to shell model calculations using either the isospin nonconserving universal sd USDA and USDB Hamiltonians or isospin nonconserving interactions based on chiral two- and three-nucleon forces.

New determination of double-β-decay properties in 48Ca: High-precision Qββ-value measurement and improved nuclear matrix element calculations

We report a direct measurement of the Q-value of the neutrinoless double-beta-decay candidate 48Ca at the TITAN Penning-trap mass spectrometer, with the result that Q = 4267.98(32) keV. We measured the masses of both the mother and daughter nuclides, and in the latter case found a 1 keV deviation from the literature value. In addition to the Q-value, we also present results of a new calculation of the neutrinoless double-beta-decay nuclear matrix element of 48Ca. Using diagrammatic many-body perturbation theory to second order to account for physics outside the valence space, we constructed an effective shell-model double-beta-decay operator, which increased the nuclear matrix element by about 75% compared with that produced by the bare operator. The new Q-value and matrix element strengthen the case for a 48Ca double-beta-decay experiment.

Charge breeding rare isotopes for high precision mass measurements: challenges and opportunities

Ion charge breeding for Penning-trap mass spectrometry has been established as providing a precision increase that scales linearly with the charge state of the ion. Fast and efficient charge breeding is a precondition for the application of this approach to rare isotopes. However, in view of low yields and short half-lives the precision boost is partly compromised by unavoidable ion losses inherent to the charge breeding process. The mass spectrometer TRIUMFs ion trap for atomic and nuclear science is pioneering this field by coupling a Penning trap and an electron beam ion trap to the rare-isotope beam facility ISAC at TRIUMF. Here we present simulations that calculate and maximize the effective precision gain of time-of-flight ion-cyclotron-resonance measurements with highly charged ions of short-lived nuclides. In addition we compare the characteristics of measurements with singly and highly charged ions, and we summarize recent results that explored benefits of charge breeding that go beyond the precision increase.

Cooling of highly-charged, short-lived ions for precision mass spectrometry at TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science

At TRIUMFs Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN), masses of short-lived nuclides are measured accurately and precisely using Penning trap mass spectrometry. The achievable precision is primarily limited by the radioactive lifetime of the nuclides. To boost the precision TITAN has demonstrated that short-lived isotopes can be charge-bred to higher charge states within 10–100 s of ms using an electron beam ion trap. The charge breeding process increases the energy spread of the ions, which in turn affects the precision and the efficiency. A novel cooler Penning trap (CPET) has been developed to trap and cool highly-charged ions using electrons prior to the precision measurement. A discussion of electron cooling and the current status of CPET will be given.

Low-Background In-Trap Decay Spectroscopy with TITAN at TRIUMF

An in-trap decay spectroscopy setup has been developed and constructed for use with the TITAN facility at TRIUMF. The goal of this device is to observe weak electron-capture (EC) branching ratios for the odd-odd intermediate nuclei in the

Progress at the TITAN-EBIT

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Mass measurements of neutron-rich Rb and Sr isotopes

decay process. This apparatus consists of an up-to 6 Tesla, open-access spectroscopy ion-trap, surrounded radially by up to 7 planar Si(Li) detectors which are separated from the trap by thin Be windows. This configuration provides a significant increase in sensitivity for the detection of low-energy photons by providing backing-free ion storage and eliminating charged-particle-induced backgrounds. An intense electron beam is also employed to increase the charge-states of the trapped ions, thus providing storage times on the order of minutes, allowing for decay-spectroscopy measurements. The technique of multiple ion-bunch stacking was also recently demonstrated, which further extends the measurement possibilities of this apparatus. The current status of the facility and initial results from a

Precision mass measurements of magnesium isotopes and implications for the validity of the isobaric mass multiplet equation

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