R. von Hahn

Accelerated radioactive beams from REX-ISOLDE

In 2001 the linear accelerator of the Radioactive beam EXperiment (REX-ISOLDE) delivered for the first time accelerated radioactive ion beams, at a beam energy of 2 MeV/u. REX-ISOLDE uses the method of charge-state breeding, in order to enhance the charge state of the ions before injection into the LINAC. Radioactive singly-charged ions from the on-line mass separator ISOLDE are first accumulated in a Penning trap, then charge bred to an A/q < 4.5 in an electron beam ion source (EBIS) and finally accelerated in a LINAC from 5 keV/u to energies between 0.8 and 2.2 MeV/u. Dedicated measurements with REXTRAP, the transfer line and the EBIS have been carried out in conjunction with the first commissioning of the accelerator. Thus the properties of the different elements could be determined for further optimization of the system. In two test beam times in 2001 stable and radioactive Na isotopes (Na-23-Na-26) have been accelerated and transmitted to a preliminary target station. There Ni-58- and Be-9- and H-2-targets have been used to study exited states via Coulomb excitation and neutron transfer reactions. One MINIBALL triple cluster detector was used together with a double sided silicon strip detector to detect scattered particles in coincidence with gamma-rays. The aim was to study the operation of the detector under realistic conditions with gamma-background from the beta-decay of the radioactive ions and from the cavities. Recently for efficient detection eight tripple Ge-detectors of MINIBALL and a double sided silicon strip detector have been installed. We will present the first results obtained in the commissioning experiments and will give an overview of realistic beam parameters for future experiments to be started in the spring 2002.

Physics with colder molecular ions: The Heidelberg Cryogenic Storage Ring CSR

A novel cryogenic electrostatic storage ring is planned to be built at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. The machine is expected to operate at low temperatures (∼ 2K) and to store beams with kinetic energies between 20 to 300 keV. An electron target based on cooled photocathode technology will serve as a major tool for the study of reactions between molecular ions and electrons. Moreover, atomic beams can be merged and crossed with the stored ion beams allowing for atom molecularion collision studies at very low up to high relative energies. The proposed experimental program, centered around the physics of cold molecular ions, is shortly outlined.

A cryogenic electrostatic trap for long-time storage of keV ion beams

We report on the realization and operation of a fast ion beam trap of the linear electrostatic type employing liquid helium cooling to reach extremely low blackbody radiation temperature and residual gas density and, hence, long storage times of more than 5 min which are unprecedented for keV ion beams. Inside a beam pipe that can be cooled to temperatures <15 K, with 1.8 K reached in some locations, an ion beam pulse can be stored at kinetic energies of 2-20 keV between two electrostatic mirrors. Along with an overview of the cryogenic trap design, we present a measurement of the residual gas density inside the trap resulting in only 2 x 10(3) cm(-3), which for a room temperature environment corresponds to a pressure in the 10(-14) mbar range. The device, called the cryogenic trap for fast ion beams, is now being used to investigate molecules and clusters at low temperatures, but has also served as a design prototype for the cryogenic heavy-ion storage ring currently under construction at the Max-Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics.

The cryogenic storage ring CSR

An electrostatic cryogenic storage ring, CSR, for beams of anions and cations with up to 300 keV kinetic energy per unit charge has been designed, constructed, and put into operation. With a circumference of 35 m, the ion-beam vacuum chambers and all beam optics are in a cryostat and cooled by a closed-cycle liquid helium system. At temperatures as low as (5.5 ± 1) K inside the ring, storage time constants of several minutes up to almost an hour were observed for atomic and molecular, anion and cation beams at an energy of 60 keV. The ion-beam intensity, energy-dependent closed-orbit shifts (dispersion), and the focusing properties of the machine were studied by a system of capacitive pickups. The Schottky-noise spectrum of the stored ions revealed a broadening of the momentum distribution on a time scale of 1000 s. Photodetachment of stored anions was used in the beam lifetime measurements. The detachment rate by anion collisions with residual-gas molecules was found to be extremely low. A residual-gas density below 140 cm(-3) is derived, equivalent to a room-temperature pressure below 10(-14) mbar. Fast atomic, molecular, and cluster ion beams stored for long periods of time in a cryogenic environment will allow experiments on collision- and radiation-induced fragmentation processes of ions in known internal quantum states with merged and crossed photon and particle beams.

Development of seven-gap resonators for the Heidelberg high current injector

Abstract A high current injector for the heavy ion storage ring TSR in Heidelberg is under construction. As a part of the injector eight seven-gap resonators with high shunt impedance are being developed. These resonators ( ƒ 0 = 108.48 MHz ) are designed for the synchronous velocities of β s = 3.7, 4.5, 5.1 and 5.7%. Low power models with scaling factors of 1:2.5 were built in order to study the characteristics of these new resonators. Following low level measurements to optimize the voltage distribution and eigenfrequency, a first power resonator was built and successfully tested at 80 kW (duty cycle of 25%). At this power, the resonator generated a maximum voltage (summation of all gap amplitude voltages) of 1.75 MV. This paper describes the design of the resonators and gives some details of the measurements.

The 7-gap-resonator–accelerator for the REX-ISOLDE-experiment at CERN

Abstract The Radioactive Beam Experiment at ISOLDE (REX-ISOLDE-Experiment) which presently is being developed and under construction at CERN serves to investigate exotic, very neutron rich, radioactive nuclei [1] (Radioactive beam EXperiment at ISOLDE: Coloumb Excitation and Neutron Transfer Reactions of Exotic Nuclei, Proposal to the ISOLDE commitee, CERNSIC94-25). A linear accelerator delivers radioactive ions which are produced by the isotope separator ISOLDE with energies between 0.85 and 2.2 MeV/u. The Linac will consist of a RFQ-accelerator, an interdigital H-Structure (IH) and three 7-gap-resonators with variable energy. While the LMU Munich is responsible for the frontpart of the accelerator, the backpart is being built by the MPI [2] (H. Podlech, Master Thesis, MPI-H-V21-1997, Heidelburg, 1997). After estimation of the voltage of one resonator to 1.75 MV at 90 kW, the design velocities were fixed to 5.4%, 6.0% and 6.6% of the velocity of light. Three downscaled models (1:2.5) were built in order to optimize the shuntimpedance and the field-distribution at the operation frequency of the amplifiers of 101.28 MHz. The optimization of all low power resonators is now successfully finished. Extensive beam dynamic calculations were made in order to optimize the transmission of the beam up to the target. It turned out that final energies between 0.85 and 2.2 MeV/u with nearly 100% transmission can be achieved. The acceptance in the x-plane is 1.2π mm mrad (norm.) and in the y-plane 3.0π mm mrad (norm.). The bunchlength of the fully accelerated beam (2.2 MeV/u) is 2.4 ns at the target. The development of the resonators was accompanied by extensive MAFIA calculations. It could be demonstrated that spiral-resonators like 7-gap-resonators can be calculated with MAFIA with an accuracy of 1% in comparison with experimental results. Presently, the tanks and the half shells of the power type resonators are manufactured in the workshops of the MPI.

The Cryogenic Storage Ring and its application to molecular ion recombination physics

The Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR), presently under construction at the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, will allow the storage of large ionic molecules under optimum experimental conditions. The electrostatic beam optics and the presence of a low-energy electron cooler will allow highly-precise recombination experiments with molecular ions of 160 atomic mass units per charge state. The all-cryogenic design of the storage ring will provide unprecedented vacuum conditions and assure long storage times even for very heavy ion beams. Suppression of the black body radiation background of the beam pipe in combination with electron cooling will give access to internal ion temperatures of 10K and allow state-selective experiments on infrared-active species, impossible in present-day room-temperature storage rings. We give an overview of the CSR project, point out the scientific opportunities arising from its unique design, and give an outlook on possible first molecular recombination experiments after commissioning of the storage ring.

The Heidelberg CSR: Stored Ion beams in a Cryogenic Environment

A cryogenic electrostatic ion storage ring CSR is under development at the Max‐Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. Cooling of the ultrahigh vacuum chamber is envisaged to lead to extremely low pressures as demonstrated by cryogenic ion traps. The ring will apply electron cooling with electron beams of a few eV up to 200 eV. Through long storage times of 1000 s as well as through the low wall temperature, internal cooling of infrared‐active molecular ions to their rotational ground state will be possible and their collisions with merged collinear beams of electrons and neutral atoms can be detected with high energy resolution. In addition storage of slow highly charged ions is foreseen. Using a fixed in‐ring gas target and a reaction microscope, collisions of the stored ions at a spead of the order of the atomic unit can be kinematically reconstructed. The layout and the cryogenic concept are introduced.

CRYOGENIC AND VACUUM TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE LOW-ENERGY ELECTROSTATIC CRYOGENIC STORAGE RING

The cryogenic and vacuum concepts for the electrostatic Cryogenic ion Storage Ring (CSR), under construction at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik in Heidelberg, is presented. The ring will operate in a broad temperature range from 2 to 300 K and is required to be bakeable up to 600 K. Extremely high vacuum and low temperatures are necessary to achieve long lifetimes of the molecular ions stored in the ring so that the ions will have enough time to cool by radiation to their vibrational and rotational ground states. To test cryogenic and vacuum technological aspects of the CSR, a prototype is being built and will be connected to the commercial cryogenic refrigerator recently installed, including a specialized 2-K connection system. The first results and the status of current work with the prototype are also presented.

Low Energy Electron Cooling and Accelerator Physics for the Heidelberg CSR

The Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR) is currently under construction at MPI‐K in Heidelberg. The CSR is an electrostatic ring with a total circumference of about 34 m, straight section length of 2.5 m and will store ions in the 20 ∼ 300 keV energy range (E/Q). The cryogenic system in the CSR is expected to cool the inner vacuum chamber down to 2 K. The CSR will be equipped with an electron cooler which has also to serve as an electron target for high resolution recombination experiments. In this paper we present the results of numerical investigations of the CSR lattice with finite element calculations of the deflection and focusing elements of the ring. We also present a layout of the CSR electron cooler which will have to operate in low energy mode to cool 20 keV protons in the CSR, as well as numerical estimations of the cooling times to be expected with this device.