INFN Legnaro National Laboratories Research Articles

Detection efficiency and spatial resolution of the SIRAD ion electron emission microscope

An axial ion electron emission microscope (IEEM) has been built at the SIRAD irradiation facility at the 15 MV Tandem accelerator of INFN Legnaro National Laboratory (Padova, Italy) to obtain a micrometric sensitivity map to single event effects (SEE) of electronic devices. In this contribution we report on two experiments performed with the IEEM. Si 3N 4 ultra-thin membranes with a gold deposition were placed on the device under test (DUT) to ensure a uniform and abundant secondary electron emission In the first experiment we measured an IEEM ion detection efficiency of 83% with a 58Ni (220 MeV) beam, in good agreement with the expected value. The second experiment allowed us to estimate the lateral resolution of the IEEM. The positions of ion induced single event upsets (SEU) in a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), used as a reference target, were compared with the corresponding ion impact points reconstructed by the IEEM. The result (FWHM ∼4.4 μm with a 79Br beam of 214 MeV) is encouraging because of the residual presence of distortions of the image and mechanical vibrations.

The optics of the exotic beam line at LNL

The EXOTIC collaboration is installing a facility for the in flight production of exotic ion beams at INFN Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL). The RIBs are produced in inverse kinematics mode via intense TANDEM/ALPI primary beams hitting a light gas target (H, d, 3 He, 4 He). The results of the optics calculation for 17 F produced by the 17 O(p,n) 17 F reaction are presented. Special care has been adopted to stop, at several points perpendicular to the beam direction, the contaminants due to the primary beam.

Production and trapping of francium atoms

A new facility has been constructed at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratory (LNL) for the production of francium isotopes via a fusion-evaporation nuclear reaction and a laser laboratory has been set up for francium trapping. Francium is produced inside a gold target and after diffusion desorbs from its surface as an ion. A secondary beam line delivers the francium ions to the trapping cell where they are neutralized and trapped in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Details on the production, delivery and neutralization methods are presented. Preliminary results on trapped francium are also shown. Production rate of ≃ 10 6 ions/s and a trap population of about 100 atoms have been achieved.

The Legnaro Francium Magneto-Optical Trap

Laser cooling and trapping of radioactive atoms represent the new frontier in atomic physics and a new powerful tool in nuclear physics. We are setting up at the INFN-Legnaro National Laboratories a laser cooling facility that has as a first goal the realization of a 210Fr magneto-optical trap. The general outline of the experiment and the improvements of the final trap efficiency are discussed. Some preliminary results are presented.