Joseph N. Tan

EUV spectra of highly-charged ions W54+?W63+ relevant to ITER diagnostics

We report the first measurements and detailed analysis of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectra (4–20 nm) of highly-charged tungsten ions W54+ to W63+ obtained with an electron beam ion trap (EBIT). Collisional-radiative modelling is used to identify strong electric-dipole and magnetic-dipole transitions in all ionization stages. These lines can be used for impurity transport studies and temperature diagnostics in fusion reactors, such as ITER. Identifications of prominent lines from several W ions are confirmed by the measurement of isoelectronic EUV spectra of Hf, Ta and Au. We also discuss the importance of charge-exchange recombination for the correct description of ionization balance in the EBIT plasma.

Self‐shielding superconducting solenoid systems

Superconducting solenoid systems which produce large magnetic fields can be designed to utilize flux conservation to cancel fluctuations in the ambient magnetic field in which they are located. Such self‐shielding solenoids could be very useful for mass spectroscopy of trapped particles, nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, and magnetic resonance imaging.

First positron cooling of antiprotons.

Positrons are used to cool antiprotons for the first time. The oppositely charged positrons and antiprotons are first simultaneously accumulated in separate Penning trap volumes, and then are spatially merged in a nested Penning trap. The antiprotons cool until they reach a low relative velocity with respect to the cold positrons, the situation expected to be optimal for the production of cold antihydrogen.  2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Spectra of W39+–W47+ in the 12–20 nm region observed with an EBIT light source

We observed spectra of highly ionized tungsten in the extreme ultraviolet with an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) and a grazing-incidence spectrometer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Stages of ionization were distinguished by varying the energy of the electron beam between 2.1 keV and 4.3 keV and correlating the energies with spectral line emergence. The spectra were calibrated by reference lines of highly ionized iron produced in the EBIT. Identification of the observed lines was aided by collisional-radiative modelling of the EBIT plasma. Good quantitative agreement was obtained between the modelling results and the experimental observations. Our line identifications complement recent results for W40+–W45+ observed in a tokamak plasma by Putterich et al (2005 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 38 3071). For most lines we agree with their assignment of ionization stage. Additionally, we present new identifications for some allowed and forbidden lines of W39+, W44+, W46+ and W47+. The uncertainties of our wavelengths range from 0.002 nm to 0.010 nm.

Stacking of cold antiprotons

Abstract The stacking of cold antiprotons is currently the only way to accumulate the large numbers of the cold antiprotons that are needed for low energy experiments. Both the largest possible number and the lowest possible temperature are desired, especially for the production and study of cold antihydrogen. The antiprotons accumulated in our particle trap have an energy 10 10 times lower than the energy of those delivered by CERNs Antiprotons Decelerator (AD). The number accumulated (more than 0.4 million in this demonstration) is linear in the number of accepted high energy antiproton pulses (32 in this demonstration). Accumulation efficiencies and losses are measured and discussed.

A high efficiency ultrahigh vacuum compatible flat field spectrometer for extreme ultraviolet wavelengths

A custom, flat field, extreme ultraviolet spectrometer built specifically for use with low power light sources that operate under ultrahigh vacuum conditions is reported. The spectral range of the spectrometer extends from 4 nm to 40 nm. The instrument optimizes the light gathering power and signal-to-noise ratio while achieving good resolution. A detailed description of the spectrometer and design considerations are presented, as well as a procedure that could be used to obtain a synthetic wavelength calibration with the aid of only a single known spectral feature. This synthetic wavelength calibration is compared to a standard wavelength calibration obtained from previously reported spectral lines of Xe, Ar, and Ne ions recorded with this spectrometer.

UTA versus line emission for EUVL: Studies on xenon emission at the NIST EBIT

Spectra from xenon ions have been recorded at the NIST EBIT and the emission into a 2% bandwidth at 13.5 nm arising from 4d-5p transitions compared with that from 4d-4f and 4p-4d transitions in Xe XI and also with that obtained from the unresolved transition array (UTA) observed to peak just below 11 nm. It was found that an improvement of a factor of five could be gained in photon yield using the UTA rather than the 4d-5p emission. The results are compared with atomic structure calculations and imply that a significant gain in efficiency should be obtained using tin, in which the emission at 13.5 nm comes from a similar UTA, rather than xenon as an EUVL source material.

Fundamental constants and tests of theory in Rydberg states of hydrogenlike ions

A comparison of precision frequency measurements to quantum electrodynamics (QED) predictions for Rydberg states of hydrogenlike ions can yield information on values of fundamental constants and test theory. With the results of a calculation of a key QED contribution reported here, the uncertainty in the theory of the energy levels is reduced to a level where such a comparison can yield an improved value of the Rydberg constant.

Crystalline order in laser-cooled, non-neutral ion plasmas

Laser-cooled trapped ions can be strongly coupled and form crystalline states. In this paper we review experimental studies that measure the spatial correlations of Be+ ion crystals formed in Penning traps. Both Bragg scattering of the cooling-laser light and spatial imaging of the laser-induced ion fluorescence are used to measure these correlations. In spherical plasmas with more than 2×105 ions, body-centered-cubic (bcc) crystals, the predicted bulk structure, are the only type of crystals observed. The orientation of the ion crystals can be phase locked to a rotating electric-field perturbation. With this “rotating wall” technique and stroboscopic detection, images of individual ions in a Penning trap are obtained. The rotating wall technique also provides a precise control of the time-dilation shift due to the plasma rotation, which is important for Penning trap frequency standards.

Experimental efforts at NIST towards one-electron ions in circular Rydberg states

Experimental effort is underway at NIST to enable tests of theory with one-electron ions synthesized in circular Rydberg states from captured bare nuclei. Problematic effects that limit the accuracy of predicted energy levels for low-lying states are vanishingly small for high-angular-momentum (high-L) states; in particular, the nuclear size correction for high-L states is completely negligible for any foreseeable improvement of measurement precision. As an initial step towards realizing such states, highly charged ions are extracted from the NIST electron beam ion trap (EBIT) and steered through the electrodes of a Penning trap. The goal is to capture bare nuclei in the Penning trap for experiments to make one-electron atoms in circular Rydberg states with dipole (E1) transitions in the optical domain accessible to a frequency comb.