Mikael Blom

First storage of ion beams in the Double Electrostatic Ion-Ring Experiment: DESIREE

We report on the first storage of ion beams in the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE, at Stockholm University. We have produced beams of atomic carbon anions and small carbon anion molecules (C(n)(-), n = 1, 2, 3, 4) in a sputter ion source. The ion beams were accelerated to 10 keV kinetic energy and stored in an electrostatic ion storage ring enclosed in a vacuum chamber at 13 K. For 10 keV C2 (-) molecular anions we measure the residual-gas limited beam storage lifetime to be 448 s ± 18 s with two independent detector systems. Using the measured storage lifetimes we estimate that the residual gas pressure is in the 10(-14) mbar range. When high current ion beams are injected, the number of stored particles does not follow a single exponential decay law as would be expected for stored particles lost solely due to electron detachment in collision with the residual-gas. Instead, we observe a faster initial decay rate, which we ascribe to the effect of the space charge of the ion beam on the storage capacity.

Operating a triple stack microchannel plate-phosphor assembly for single particle counting in the 12-300 K temperature range.

An assembly consisting of a stack of three microchannel plates (MCPs) and a phosphor screen anode has been operated over the temperature range from 300 to 12 K. We report on measurements at 6.4 kHz (using an alpha source) and with dark counts only (15 Hz). Without any particle source, the MCP bias current decreased by a factor of 2.1 x 10(3) when the temperature was lowered from 300 to 12 K. Using the alpha source, and a photomultiplier tube (PMT) to monitor the phosphor screen anode, we first observed an increase in the decay time of the phosphor from 12 to 45 mus when the temperature was decreased from 300 to 100 K while the decay time then decreased and reached a value of 5 mus at 12 K. The pulse height distribution from the PMT was measured between 300 and 12 K and shows a spectrum typical for a MCP phosphor setup at 300 K and 12 K but is strongly degraded for intermediate temperatures. We conclude that the present MCP-phosphor detector assembly is well suited for position-sensitive particle counting operation at temperatures down to at least 12 K even for count rates beyond 6 kHz. This result is crucial and an important part of ongoing developments of new instrumentation for investigations of, e.g., interactions involving complex molecular ions with internal quantum state control.

DESIREE as a new tool for interstellar ion chemistry

A novel cryogenic electrostatic storage device consisting of two ion-beam storage rings with a common straight section for studies of interactions between oppositely charged ions at low and well-de ...

Experimental dielectronic recombination rate coefficientsfor Na-like S VI and Na-like Ar VIII

Aims. Absolute recombination rate coefficients for two astrophysically relevant Na-like ions are presented. Methods. Recombination rate coefficients of S vi and Ar viii are determined from merged-beam type experiments at the CRYRING electron cooler. Calculated rate coefficients are used to account for recombination into states that are field-ionized and therefore not detected in the experiment. Results. Dielectronic recombination rate coefficients were obtained over an energy range covering Δn = 0 core excitations. For Na-like Ar a measurement was also performed over the Δn = 1 type of resonances. In the low-energy part of the Ar viii spectrum, enhancements of more than one order of magnitude are observed as compared to the calculated radiative recombination. The plasma recombination rate coefficients of the two Na-like ions are compared with calculated results from the literature. In the 10 3 −10 4 K range, large discrepancies are observed between calculated plasma rate coefficients and our data. At higher temperatures, above 10 5 K, in the case of both ions our data is 30% higher than two calculated plasma rate coefficients, other data from the literature having even lower values. Conclusions. Discrepancies below 10 4 K show that at such temperatures even state-of-the-art calculations yield plasma rate coefficients that have large uncertainties. The main reason for these uncertainties are the contributions from low-energy resonances, which are difficult to calculate accurately.

Lifetime of the bound excited level in Ni

The intrinsic lifetime of the upper level in the bound-bound 3d(9) 4s(2) D-2(3/2) -> 3d(9) 4s(2) D-2(5/2) radiative transition in Ni- was measured to be 15.1 +/- 0.4 s. The experiment was performed at cryogenic temperatures in one of the ion-beam storage rings of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment facility at Stockholm University. The storage lifetime of the Ni- ion beam was measured to be close to 5 min at a ring temperature of 13 K.

Dianion diagnostics in DESIREE: High-sensitivity detection of Cn2− from a sputter ion source

A sputter ion source with a solid graphite target has been used to produce dianions with a focus on carbon cluster dianions, Cn2-, with n = 7-24. Singly and doubly charged anions from the source were accelerated together to kinetic energies of 10 keV per atomic unit of charge and injected into one of the cryogenic (13 K) ion-beam storage rings of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring Experiment facility at Stockholm University. Spontaneous decay of internally hot Cn2- dianions injected into the ring yielded Cn- anions with kinetic energies of 20 keV, which were counted with a microchannel plate detector. Mass spectra produced by scanning the magnetic field of a 90° analyzing magnet on the ion injection line reflect the production of internally hot C72- - C242- dianions with lifetimes in the range of tens of microseconds to milliseconds. In spite of the high sensitivity of this method, no conclusive evidence of C62- was found while there was a clear C72- signal with the expected isotopic distribution. This is consistent with earlier experimental studies and with theoretical predictions. An upper limit is deduced for a C62- signal that is two orders-of-magnitude smaller than that for C72-. In addition, CnO2- and CnCu2- dianions were detected.

Commissioning of the DESIREE storage rings - a new facility for cold ion-ion collisions

We report on the ongoing commissioning of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE, at Stockholm University. Beams of atomic carbon anions (C-) and smaller carbon anion molecules (C-2( ...

First results from the Double ElectroStatic Ion-Ring ExpEriment, DESIREE

We have stored the first beams in one of the rings of the double electrostatic ion-storage ring, DESIREE at cryogenic and at room temperature conditions. At cryogenic operations the following parameters are found. Temperature; T= 13K, pressure; p 10(7) and storage lifetime of a C-2(-) beam; tau = 450 S.

Status of DESIREE

DESIREE [1] is a double electrostatic storage ring in a cold (13 K) environment with an excellent vacuum. Very long storage times in both rings have been achieved, which has enabled the preparation of beams in a single quantum state. The status of DESIREE is presented with particular emphasis on measurements of stored beam currents in the sub-nA range. We also discuss the ongoing work towards stochastic cooling of very slow beams.

Storing keV negative ions for hours: Lifetime measurements in new time domains

We have used one of the cryogenic ion storage rings of DESIREE to measure the lifetime of the 2P°1/2 level in the sulfur anion to be 503 ± 43 seconds. This is orders of magnitude longer than any previously measured lifetime in a negatively charged ion.