HIMARIS · High precision mass measurements of short-lived radionuclides at the Penning trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP
FP6 — Marie Curie Actions (Human Resources and Mobility)
- Duration
- 2005-09-01 → 2007-08-31
- EU contribution
- €0
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- EIF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Project objective
The determination of atomic masses is of importance in various branches of physics. Being unique as a fingerprint, the masses of short-lived nuclides contribute to stringent tests of nuclear structure models, astrophysical models, e.g. for the nucleosynthesis of the elements, and even to tests of the Standard Model with respect to the Weak Interaction. With the Penning-trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP at ISOLDE/CERN the masses of exotic nuclides can be measured at a level of less than 0.01 parts per million. The principle of mass determination is the high-precision measurement of the frequency of the ion motion in the Penning trap. Over 300 short-lived nuclides have already been measured with ISOLTRAP. The HIMARIS project not only aims at the continuation of the successful scientific program. It is also devoted to the enhancement of the experimental setup and to establishing an even more versatile research environment. It is planned to include negatively-charged ions in the ISOLTRAP measurements in order t o add further elements into the investigations. This requires modifications of the present power supplies and electronics. Another objective is the application of highly charged ions. Due to the increased charge state, the accuracy limit can be pushed further down to the ppb level. In both cases, first studies will be performed immediately at the beginning of the project period in order to test the new methods, especially with regard to ion cooling and bunching. In addition, a non-destructive ion-detection technique will be implemented. It allows a direct monitoring of the ion motion and a fast frequency measurement. Finally, a tape station will be added to the experimental setup for trap-assisted spectroscopy. With a new detector, which is currently implemented, it will be possible to deliver bunches of cooled and isomerically purified ions, e.g., to a tape which transports the radioactive atoms to appropriate detectors.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH · GENEVECoordinatorSwitzerland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union