Laser ion source for selective production of short-lived exotic nuclei

Abstract

An element selective laser ion source has been developed for the production of pure beams of exotic radioactive nuclei. It is based on selective resonant laser ionization of nuclear reaction products thermalized and neutralized in a noble gas at high pressure. The ion source has been installed at the mass separator (LISOL) which is coupled on line to the cyclotron at Louvain-la-Neuve. The ion source has been tested in a wide range of recoil energies going from 1.3 MeV to 90 MeV. Pure beams of 54,55Ni and 54Co, produced in a light-ion induced fusion-evaporation reaction, and of 113Rh and 69,71Ni, produced in proton-induced fission of 238U, were obtained. An efficiency of the ion source of 6.6% for fusion reactions and of 0.22% for fission reactions has been obtained. A selectivity of the ion source of 300 for fusion and 50 for fission reactions has been achieved.