Radioactive Beam Experiments Research Articles

In-gas-jet laser spectroscopy with S[formula omitted]-LEB

The Super Separator Spectrometer-Low Energy Branch (S3-LEB) is a low-energy radioactive ion beam experiment under commissioning as part of the GANIL-SPIRAL2 facility. It will be used for the production and study of exotic nuclei by in-gas laser ionization and spectroscopy (IGLIS), decay spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. We report recent results from the off-line commissioning of S3-LEB, including first laser spectroscopy measurements in both the gas cell and the supersonic gas jet, the determination of the transport efficiency of laser ions from the gas cell through the RFQ chain, and time-of-flight measurements with the multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer PILGRIM. The measurements were performed using erbium, introduced by evaporation from a heated filament in the gas environment. The reported laser spectroscopy results include a characterization of the pressure broadening in the gas cell, proof-of-principle isotope shift measurements, and hyperfine-structure measurements.

Development of high performance PIN-silicon detector and its application in radioactive beam physical experiment

In view of the great demand for large-area silicon detectors in domestic nuclear physics experiments, a type of 300-μm-thick high-performance square silicon detector with a large active area of 50 mm×50 mm by using overprinting technology is developed in the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Based on this technology, SiO<sub>2</sub> contamination caused by the photolithography and corrosion processes is effectively reduced. The detector has an excellent performance with a yield of up to 80%. Under –45 V (depletion voltage) bias, the leakage current of the detector is less than 40 nA. The detector is tested with a three-component α radioactive source. The energy resolution (<i>σ</i>) is about 45 keV for 5-MeV α particles. Used as an energy deposition(Δ<i>E</i>) detector, the detector performance is also tested for measuring reaction products of 250 MeV/u <sup>11</sup>C radioactive beams impinging on a carbon target. The results show that the charge number resolution of a single silicon detector is 0.17 for the carbon isotope, which is similar to that measured with the same type of detectors available from the market. With the average deposition energy of three silicon detectors used, the charge number resolution for carbon isotope reaches a better value of 0.11. With this resolution, C and B isotopes are clearly distinguished, meeting the requirements for particle identification in intermediate- and high-energy radioactive beam experiments.

The Notre-Dame Cube: An active-target time-projection chamber for radioactive beam experiments and detector development

Active-target detectors have the potential to address the difficulties associated with the low intensities of radioactive beams. We have developed an active-target detector, the Notre Dame Cube (ND-Cube), to perform experiments with radioactive beams produced at TwinSol and to aid in the development of active-target techniques. Various aspects of the ND-Cube and its design were characterized. The ND-Cube was commissioned with a 7Li beam for measuring 40Ar + 7Li fusion reaction cross sections and investigating 7Li(α, α)7Li scattering events. The ND-Cube will be used to study a range of reactions using light radioactive ions produced at low energy.

A liquid hydrogen target for radioactive beam experiments using the missing mass method

We developed a liquid hydrogen target dedicated to missing mass spectroscopy using radioactive isotope beams. The target has a circular aperture of 20 mm and a maximum thickness of 1.5 mm at the center. A test experiment with a 12C beam at 54.4 MeV/u was performed at GANIL. The 12C(p,d)11C reaction was measured with the charged-particle telescopes MUST2. An excitation energy resolution of 500-keV r.m.s. was obtained for the observed ground state. The target thickness was confirmed from the comparison of the measured differential cross sections to previous measurements.

The effects of beam drifts on elastic scattering measured by the large solid-angle covered detector array

A new detector array characterized by compact structure and large solid-angle coverage was designed for radioactive ion beam (RIB) experiments and measuring multi-particle correlations. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to explore the effects of beam drifts in different directions and distances on the angular distribution of the Rutherford scattering, as measured by the detector array. The results indicate that when the beam drift distance is less than 2.0 mm, the symmetry of the detector array can maintain a count error of less than $$5\%$$ . This confirms the property of the detector array for RIB experiments. Furthermore, the simulation was validated through the elastic scattering angular distributions of $$^{6,7}$$ Li measured by the detector array in $$^{6,7}\hbox {Li} + ^{209}\hbox {Bi}$$ experiments at different energies.

An implantation Diamond detector as a beam monitor for an intense radioactive ion beam

We present the characterization of a Diamond detector and its response as a beam rate monitor with full stopping of radioactive ion beams of high intensity. The detector has been implemented in the VAMOS focal plane at GANIL and utilised in conjunction with AGATA and MUGAST detector systems. In the present experiment, for the first time, the beam has been fully stopped, rather than being recorded by a transmission detector. The Diamond detector has been tested for use as a particle counter for monitoring a high intensity, radioactive ion beam in the study of the alpha transfer reaction 7Li(15O,t)19Ne. The present experiment, which took place in July 2019, has used a 15O radioactive beam with a high intensity of 107 particles per second due to the weak reaction population and it has been measured using the VAMOS spectrometer and the AGATA and MUGAST arrays. Detailed monitoring of beam intensities in the range of 106 – 107 particles per second is particularly challenging in radioactive ion beam experiments. Thus, the chosen method involves the diamond detector due to its sub-nanosecond response time as well as its radiation hardness. The study of the alpha transfer reaction 7Li(15O,t)19Ne will be performed to determine the radiative alpha capture rate on 15O which is a key breakout route from the Hot-CNO cycle which leads to a explosive nucleosynthesis in X-ray bursts.

Production and characterization of thin, self-supporting Si foils for use as targets in radioactive beam experiments

Development of thin, self-supporting silicon foils (both natural and isotopically-enriched) for use as targets in reaction studies with radioactive beams is detailed. Foils with a thickness of ∼220μg/cm2 were produced using vapor deposition and were floated onto aluminum frames with 10–15 mm diameter holes. During their production, the foil thickness was measured using a quartz crystal monitor. Subsequently, the foil thickness was characterized by α particle energy loss measurements and Rutherford backscattering (RBS). These measurements demonstrated that the thickness could be determined to within a 0.5% uncertainty. The elemental purity of the foils was assessed using RBS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This analysis demonstrated that the foils have 87%–90% silicon abundance.

K38 isomer production via fast fragmentation

In radioactive ion beam experiments, beams containing isomers can be of interest in probing nuclear structure and informing astrophysical reaction rates. While the production of mixed in-flight ground state and isomer beams using nucleon transfer can be generally understood through distorted wave Born approximation methodology, low-spin isomer production via fast fragmentation is relatively unstudied. To attain a practical understanding of low-spin isomer production using fast fragmentation beams, a test case of $^{38}\mathrm{K}/^{38m}\mathrm{K}$ was studied at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory's ReAccelerated Beam facility. Starting from lise++ predictions, the fragmentation momentum distribution was sampled to determine isomer production. In addition, the effects of the gas stopper gradient and charge breeding times were examined. In the case of $^{38}\mathrm{K}$, isomer production peaks at $\ensuremath{\sim}57%$. This maximum is observed just off the lise++ predicted optimum magnetic rigidity, with only small losses in beam intensity within a few percent of this optimum rigidity setting. Control of the isomer fraction was also achieved through the modification of charge breeding times. Fast fragmentation appears to be a feasible method for production of low-spin isomeric beams, but additional study is necessary to better describe the mechanism involved.

The drift chamber array at the external target facility in HIRFL-CSR

A drift chamber array at the External Target Facility in HIRFL-CSR has been constructed for three-dimensional particle tracking in high-energy radioactive ion beam experiments. The design, readout, track reconstruction program and calibration procedures for the detector are described. The drift chamber array was tested in a 311 AMeV 40Ar beam experiment. The detector performance based on the measurements of the beam test is presented. A spatial resolution of 230μm is achieved.

The Active Target Time Projection Chamber at NSCL

Reactions in inverse kinematics close to the Coulomb barrier offer unique opportunities to study exotic nuclei, but they are plagued by the difficulty to efficiently and precisely measure the characteristics of the emerging particles. The Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) offers an elegant solution to this dilemma. In this device, the detector gas of the time projection chamber is at the same time the target in which nuclear reactions take place. The use of this new paradigm offers several advantages over conventional inert target methods, the most significant being the ability to increase the luminosity of experiments without loss of resolution. The AT-TPC and some results obtained on resonant α scattering to explore the clustering properties of neutron-rich nuclei are presented, as well as fusion cross section results using a 10 Be radioactive beam. In addition, the first re-accelerated radioactive beam experiment using the fully commissioned ReA3 linac was conducted recently at the NSCL with the AT-TPC, where proton resonant scattering of a 4.6 MeV/u 46 Ar beam was used to measure the neutron single-particle strength in 47 Ar.

NPTool: a simulation and analysis framework for low-energy nuclear physics experiments

The Nuclear Physics Tool (NPTool) is an open source data analysis and Monte Carlo simulation framework that has been developed for low-energy nuclear physics experiments with an emphasis on radioactive beam experiments. The NPTool offers a unified framework for designing, preparing and analyzing complex experiments employing multiple detectors, each of which may comprise some hundreds of channels. The framework has been successfully used for the analysis and simulation of experiments at facilities including GANIL, RIKEN, ALTO and TRIUMF, using both stable and radioactive beams. This paper details the NPTool philosophy together with an overview of the workflow. The framework has been benchmarked through the comparison of simulated and experimental data for a variety of detectors used in charged particle and gamma-ray spectroscopy.

Evolution of quadrupole collectivity inN=80isotones toward theZ=64subshell gap: TheB(E2;21+→01+)value ofSm142

It was shown that the evolution of the $B(E2;{2}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{1}^{+})$ values in $N$ = 80 isotones from Te to Nd is affected by the underlying subshell structure. This manifests itself in the observation of the local suppression of the $B(E2)$ value at $Z=58$ with respect to the neighboring nuclei $^{136}\mathrm{Ba}$ and $^{140}\mathrm{Nd}$. To investigate this shell sensitivity toward the $Z=64$ subshell gap, the $B(E2;{2}_{1}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{0}_{1}^{+})$ value of the unstable nucleus $^{142}\mathrm{Sm}$ was measured utilizing the projectile Coulomb excitation technique. The radioactive ion beam (RIB) experiment was performed at the REX-ISOLDE facility at CERN. The $B(E2)$ value of $32\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}(4)\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{W}.\mathrm{u}.$ reflects the impact of the $\ensuremath{\pi}(1{g}_{7/2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}2{d}_{5/2})$ subshell closure at $Z=64$ with respect to a linear scaling of collectivity with valence proton number.

Development and performance test of the analysis software for the CRIB active target

Software for genuinely event-by-event analysis and event reconstruction of data obtained by using an active target has been developed in the graphical user interface under the CERN ROOT framework. The primary motivation for developing the software was to provide physicists who perform experiments using an active target a more user-friendly environment for the purpose of investigating the performance of detection systems and obtaining ideas about physics from a large amount of experimental data. To test the performance of the software, we analyzed experimental data from a 16N radioactive ion beam experiment for α-decay measurements. As a result of the analysis, we observed the Bragg curve and measured the range of the 16N RI beam in the detector. Data were calibrated against the calculation after comparing the Bragg curve to the one obtained from an energy loss calculation in P-10 gas. We present a detailed description of the analysis software and its test results.

Testing refined shell-model interactions in thesdshell: Coulomb excitation ofNa26

Background: Shell-model calculations crucially depend on the residual interaction used to approximate the nucleon-nucleon interaction. Recent improvements to the empirical universal sd interaction (USD) describing nuclei within the sd shell yielded two new interactions—USDA and USDB—causing changes in the theoretical description of these nuclei. Purpose: Transition matrix elements between excited states provide an excellent probe to examine the underlying shell structure. These observables provide a stringent test for the newly derived interactions. The nucleus Na26 with 7 valence neutrons and 3 valence protons outside the doubly-magic 16O core is used as a test case. Method: A radioactive beam experiment with Na26 (T1/2=1,07s) was performed at the REX-ISOLDE facility (CERN) using Coulomb excitation at safe energies below the Coulomb barrier. Scattered particles were detected with an annular Si detector in coincidence with γ rays observed by the segmented MINIBALL array. Coulomb excitation cross sections of the beam have been obtained by normalization to the well known Coulomb excitation cross sections of the Pd104 target. Results: The observation of three γ-ray transitions in Na26 together with available spectroscopic data allows us to determine E2- and M1-transitional matrix elements. Results are compared to theoretical predictions. Conclusion: The improved theoretical description of Na26 could be validated. Remaining discrepancies between experimental data and theoretical predictions indicate the need for future experiments and possibly further theoretical improvements.Received 28 October 2014Revised 12 December 2014DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.91.014311This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical Society

The JENSA Gas-Jet Target for Radioactive Beam Experiments at ReA3 and FRIB

A high-density supersonic gas-jet target named JENSA (Jet Experiments in Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics) has been constructed and commissioned at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The target creates a localized (∼ 4mm wide) thick (∼1019 atoms/cm2) concentration of gaseous atoms (H, He, N, etc...) that are suitable for use in high-resolution experiments with radioactive beams. The interaction point of the beam with the gas-jet target is surrounded by silicon strip detectors from the SuperORRUBA (Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array) to detect reaction products with good energy (∼30 keV) and angular resolution (∼1 degree). Initial experiments are discussed along with plans for future use at Michigan State University.

Fabrication of calcium-gold and calcium-lead targets for ion beam experiments at TRIUMF ISAC-II

Multi-layer thin targets are vital in low-energy nuclear physics experiments employing the use of accelerated beams. In this paper, we describe the fabrication of encapsulated calcium targets produced by evaporation on gold and lead backings for radioactive beam experiments at TRIUMF’s ISAC-II facility.

Efficiency determination of resistive plate chambers for fast quasi-monoenergetic neutrons

Composite detectors made of stainless steel converters and multigap resistive plate chambers have been irradiated with quasi-monoenergetic neutrons with a peak energy of 175MeV. The neutron detection efficiency has been determined using two different methods. The data are in agreement with the output of Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations are then extended to study the response of a hypothetical array made of these detectors to energetic neutrons from a radioactive ion beam experiment.

Resonance ionization laser ion sources for on-line isotope separators (invited)

A Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) is today considered an essential component of the majority of Isotope Separator On Line (ISOL) facilities; there are seven laser ion sources currently operational at ISOL facilities worldwide and several more are under development. The ionization mechanism is a highly element selective multi-step resonance photo-absorption process that requires a specifically tailored laser configuration for each chemical element. For some isotopes, isomer selective ionization may even be achieved by exploiting the differences in hyperfine structures of an atomic transition for different nuclear spin states. For many radioactive ion beam experiments, laser resonance ionization is the only means of achieving an acceptable level of beam purity without compromising isotope yield. Furthermore, by performing element selection at the location of the ion source, the propagation of unwanted radioactivity downstream of the target assembly is reduced. Whilst advances in laser technology have improved the performance and reliability of laser ion sources and broadened the range of suitable commercially available laser systems, many recent developments have focused rather on the laser/atom interaction region in the quest for increased selectivity and/or improved spectral resolution. Much of the progress in this area has been achieved by decoupling the laser ionization from competing ionization processes through the use of a laser/atom interaction region that is physically separated from the target chamber. A new application of gas catcher laser ion source technology promises to expand the capabilities of projectile fragmentation facilities through the conversion of otherwise discarded reaction fragments into high-purity low-energy ion beams. A summary of recent RILIS developments and the current status of laser ion sources worldwide is presented.

The TRIUMF-ISAC gamma-ray escape suppressed specrometer, TIGRESS

The TRIUMF-ISAC Gamma-Ray Escape Suppressed Spectrometer is a high energy-resolution, high efficiency γ -ray detector array for radioactive beam experiments. It consists of high-purity germanium detectors with scintillator suppressors and waveform digitization. TIGRESS can operate in modes optimized for either maximum efficiency or for high peak-to-total, and can switch between these modes within a day. The digitized waveforms provide 6 mm FWHM position resolution for incident 137Cs γ rays. The array hosts a suite of auxilliary detectors for charged particles and neutrons.

Off line ion source terminal

The off-line ion source (OLIS) terminal provides beams from stable isotopes to ISAC (see Fig. 1) experiments as well as for accelerator commissioning and for pilot beams for radioactive beam experiments. The OLIS terminal (see Fig. 2) is equipped with a microwave driven cusp source for single and double charge ions, a surface ion source for low energy spread alkali beams, and a multi-charge ion source.