MASS AND LIFETIME MEASUREMENTS AT THE PRESENT ESR FACILITY

Abstract

Mass and lifetime measurements of stored exotic nuclei is one of the successful experimental programs at the FRS-ESR facility of GSI, Darmstadt. Two experimental techniques, namely Isochronous and time-resolved Schottky mass spectrometry have been developed. Nuclides in a very broad range of half-lives starting from stable down to only a few ten microseconds can be addressed. Single stored ions can be measured which makes these techniques highly efficient. More than 1100 atomic masses have been measured meanwhile. Half-life measurements are performed with bare and few-electron ions. Decay properties of such highly-charged ions can be dramatically different from the ones known in neutral atoms. Single-particle decay spectroscopy has been developed for investigations of two-body beta decays. A brief description of the experimental methods and recent results will be presented. Future experiments at the present facility and the perspectives with the new NuSTAR/ILIMA project at FAIR will be outlined.