Target Ion Source Research Articles

Transverse emittance investigation of the ISOLDE target-ion sources

In order to produce target–ion sources allowing for a high isotopic resolution in the separator, CERN/ISOLDE (isotope separator on-line) has purchased a commercial emittance meter, capable of measuring transverse phase-space emittances for ion-beam intensities down to approximately 1 nA. It was installed at the ISOLDE off-line separator where targets are tested with respect to material purity and the ion-source efficiencies are determined. Now, also the emittance and brightness are measured for different stable elements. An extensive programme has been launched aiming at a complete survey of the emittance dependence on the various ion-source parameters. Results from the measurements on the different ISOLDE ion-source types, with associated analysis, are presented.

Review of ISOL target–ion-source systems

Any review of target–ion-source systems (TISS) is necessarily a variation of the ISOL-theme “efficient, fast, selective”. In the first part, more than 30 years of TISS development are examined in view of these key characteristics. By looking at the lines of development that were successful, at the lines that were abandoned (partly for good, partly for less good reasons), the lines with the most promising perspectives emerge. The second part deals with on-line chemistry in the TISS and its possibly double benefits: enhanced selectivity or increased separation speed, or both in favourable cases, as the relatively new sulfide chemistry. For the group-IVa-elements germanium and tin, the separation as sulfide-ions does not only suppress strongly the contamination by the neighbouring elements. It also reduces the effusion part of the release by orders of magnitude to the level of the intrinsic delay caused by molecular flow. The homologue chemistry is likely to work for silicon, but not for lead. While selectivity requires that both the formed molecules and molecular ions are thermally stable, a gain in speed requires only sufficient stability of the molecule: e.g. antimony, which hardly forms sulfide ions, also migrates orders of magnitude faster in the presence of sulphur vapour.

MAFF — The Munich accelerator for fission fragments

At the new high flux reactor FRM-II in Munich the accelerator MAFF (Munich accelerator for fission fragments) is under design. In the high neutron flux of 1014 n/cm2 s up to 1014 neutron-rich fission fragments per second are produced in the 1 g U-235 target. Ions with an energy of 30 keV are extracted from the ion source. In the mass separator two isotopes can be selected. One of the beams is used for low energy experiments, the other one is injected into an ECRIS (or EBIS) for charge breeding to a q/A≥0.16. A gas filled RFQ cooler is used for emittance improvement. The subsequent LINAC delivers beams with an energy ranging from 3.7 MeV/u to 5.9 MeV/u. New IH structures are being developed at the Munich tandem laboratory. A small storage ring is planned in a further stage to recycle the fission fragments. A thin target foil can be placed into this ring, e.g., for synthesis of super-heavy elements. The through-going beam tube has been installed in the heavy water tank of the reactor. Tests of the target ion source in a special oven to test long term stability and safety tests were in progress.

Production of intense beams of fission fragments at MAFF

At the new Munich high flux reactor FRM-II, the Munich Accelerator for Fission Fragments (MAFF) is under development. The main objective will be the production and study of new very heavy elements (Z>100). To obtain this goal, intense beams of neutron rich isotopes (70<A<160) are required. Thermal neutron induced fission is considered the most suitable method to produce these isotopes due to the large fission cross section and high thermal neutron flux (>1014 n/s*cm2) available at the new reactor. The target ion source design is based on the ANUBIS source at OSIRIS in Studvik, optimized for very high neutron fluxes. Using 1 g of U235 diluted in a graphite target, intensities of several 1011 ions/s for Kr91, Sn132, or Cs144, e.g., are expected after mass separation. These singly charged ions will be charge bred in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source and then injected into the MAFF-LINAC to reach the energies at the Coulomb barrier. The production of intense ion beams of neutron rich isotopes by thermal neutron induced fission, the development of the target ion source, and the development of the fission target will be presented.

RNB production with thermal neutrons

Thermal neutron induced nuclear fission is the most suitable method to produce neutron-rich isotopes (70⩽ A⩽160) due to the large fission cross section and the high thermal neutron fluxes in modern reactors. Intensities of mass separated neutron rich nuclei of some 10 11 ions/s are expected, e.g. for 91Kr, 132Sn or 144Cs from 235U diluted in a porous graphite target. Several front runners with low-energy fission-fragment beams exist like OSIRIS in Studsvik. In order to get beams of neutron-rich nuclei at the Coulomb barrier, the PIAFE project worked out a first concept of production and mass separation of high-intensity beams of fission fragments. At the new Munich high-flux reactor FRMII, the Munich Accelerator for Fission Fragments (MAFF) is under development to make use of post accelerated beams of neutron rich isotopes for experiments in many different fields of nuclear physics, solid state physics and medicine. One key experiment will be the production and the study of very heavy elements. An overview of the production method of neutron-rich isotopes by thermal neutron induced fission, and of the expected yields will be given and the development of target–ion-sources and of the fission targets for MAFF will be characterized.

The accelerated ISOL technique and the SPIRAL project

The accelerated ISOL technique is presented as an introduction to the present status of the SPIRAL facility. SPIRAL is based on the very high intensity light and heavy-ion beams available at GANIL. The facility will deliver radioactive beams with energies in the range between 1.7 and 25 A MeV. The current state of target-ion source production system, as well as the new developments undertaken by the target ion-source group at GANIL are presented.

Application of the laser ion source for isotope shift and hyperfine structure investigation

The study of nuclei far from stability requires high sensitivity of the experimental technique. The method of Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy in a Laser Ion Source (RIS/LIS) allows one to carry out measurements of the isotope shifts and hyperfine splittings for isotopes at the production rate about 102 atoms per second. The sensitivity of this method is determined by the high efficiency of the laser ion source and the low background of the detection system afforded by characteristic α particle registration. The isotope shifts and hyperfine structures of 155Yb, 154Tm (I=9 and I=2) and 153Tm (I=11/2) have been measured and the isotopic changes in mean square charge radii and nuclear electromagnetic moments have been determined. The further development of this experimental method – enhanced Target Ion Source system aimed to suppress thermionic background – enables direct detection of the photoions and widens the range of the applicability of the RIS/LIS method.

Experimental methods in radioactive ion-beam target/ion source development and characterization

We have developed off-line experimental techniques and apparatuses that permit direct measurement of effusive-flow delay times and ionization efficiencies for nearly any chemically reactive element in high-temperature target/ion sources (TIS) commonly used for on-line radioactive ion-beam (RIB) generation. The apparatuses include a hot Ta valve for effusive-flow delay-time measurements, a cooled molecular injection system for determination of ionization efficiencies, and a gas flow measurement/control system for introducing very low, well-defined molecular flows into the TIS. Measurements are performed on a test stand using molecular feed compounds containing stable complements of the radioactive nuclei of interest delivered to the TIS at flow rates commensurate with on-line RIB generation. In this article, the general techniques are described and effusive-flow delay times and ionization efficiency measurements are reported for fluorine in an electron-beam plasma target/ion source developed for RIB generation and operated in both positive- and negative-ion extraction modes.

Fission fragment accelerators for the Grenoble and Munich high flux reactors

Accelerators for the Munich and Grenoble high flux reactors are under design [1, 2]. These accelerators will be able to deliver intense beams of very neutron rich fission fragments out of a target ion source inside the reactor tube for the production of super heavy elements [3]. In order to obtain an efficient acceleration in a LINAC, charge breeding of the 1+ ion beam from the reactor to a q/ A⩾0.16 is required. Depending on the scheme of charge breeding the LINAC can work with 10% duty cycle with a final energy between 3.7 and 5.9 MeV/u. Two sources which can deliver highly charged ions are to be considered as possible charge breeders: the Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) and the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS). The LINAC will consist of an Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, three interdigital H-type (IH) structures and two seven-gap resonators to vary the final energy of the ions. The whole concept, the charge breeding and the LINAC parameters will be discussed carefully in this paper.

Ion sources for fission fragment accelerators

At the Grenoble and Munich high-flux reactors fission fragment accelerators are under design which will deliver beams of very neutron-rich fission products with a final energy between 3 and 6 MeV/u. In order to obtain an efficient acceleration in a compact accelerator, charge conversion of the 1+ ion beams from the in-pile ion source to a q/A⩾0.16 has to take place. In the chain from production to acceleration, ion sources are the key elements to reach high beam intensities of over 1010 s−1. For the in-pile part the target-ion source assembly has not only to be very efficient, but should also be highly selective for the desired elements (which go from nickel to europium) on one hand and robust against the hostile environment (high neutron and gamma flux) on the other hand. Foreseen types are a surface ionization source, which could also be run as laser ion source for resonant photo ionization, and, for rare gases, a plasma ion source coupled via a transfer line to the target. For the charge state breeding several different schemes are considered: the combination of a Penning trap for bunching, cooling, and mass separation and an electron beam ion source (EBIS) as charge breeder, similar to REX-ISOLDE, an EBIS with direct injection of a dc beam of 1+ ions (“accu-EBIS”) or an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) with either continuous or bunched extraction. The EBIS may provide higher charge states, whereas the ECRIS is able to work with much higher beam intensities and allows cw-operation. The advantage of each scheme is explained and some design requirements of the different sources are presented.

Experimental methods in radioactive ion beam target/ion source development and characterization (abstract)

We have developed off-line experimental techniques and apparatuses that permit direct measurement of effusive-flow delay-times and ionization efficiencies for nearly any chemically reactive element in high-temperature target/ion sources (TISs) commonly used for on-line radioactive ion beam (RIB) generation. The apparatuses include a hot Ta valve for effusive-flow delay-time measurements, a cooled molecular-injection system for determination of ionization efficiencies and a gas-flow measurement/control system for introducing very low, well-defined molecular flows into the TIS. Measurements are performed on a test stand using molecular feed compounds containing stable complements of the radioactive nuclei of interest delivered to the TIS at flow rates commensurate with on-line RIB generation. In this article, the general techniques are described and effusive-flow delay-times and ionization efficiency measurements are reported for fluorine in an electron-beam-plasma target/ion source (EBPTIS) developed for RIB generation and operated in both positive and negative ion extraction modes.

Constraints due to the production of radioactive ion beams in the SPIRAL project

The radioactive ion beams that will be delivered by the SPIRAL facility will be produced by the interaction of a stable high energy (95 MeV/A) and high intensity (2×1013 particle/s) primary ion beam delivered by the GANIL cyclotrons with a carbon target heated to 2000 °C. During this interaction, some radioactive atoms will be created and will diffuse out of the target before entering into an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source where they will be ionized and extracted. The production of radioactive ion beams with this method implies high radiation fields that activate and can damage materials located in the neighborhood of the target. Therefore, the production system which is composed of the permanent magnet ECR ion source coupled to a graphite target will be changed after two weeks of irradiation. As this ensemble will be very radioactive, this operation has to be supervised by remote control. The radiation levels around the target–ion source system and a detailed description of the different precautions that have been taken for safety and for prevention of contamination and irradiation are presented.

Ion sources for fission fragment accelerators

At the Grenoble and Munich high-flux reactors fission fragment accelerators are under design which will deliver beams of very neutron-rich fission products with a final energy between 3 and 6 MeV/u. In order to obtain an efficient acceleration in a compact accelerator, charge conversion of the 1+ ion beams from the in-pile ion source to a q/A⩾0.16 has to take place. In the chain from production to acceleration, ion sources are the key elements to reach high beam intensities of over 1010 s−1. For the in-pile part the target-ion source assembly has not only to be very efficient, but should also be highly selective for the desired elements (which go from nickel to europium) on one hand and robust against the hostile environment (high neutron and gamma flux) on the other hand. Foreseen types are a surface ionization source, which could also be run as laser ion source for resonant photo ionization, and, for rare gases, a plasma ion source coupled via a transfer line to the target. For the charge state breeding several different schemes are considered: the combination of a Penning trap for bunching, cooling, and mass separation and an electron beam ion source (EBIS) as charge breeder, similar to REX-ISOLDE, an EBIS with direct injection of a dc beam of 1+ ions (“accu-EBIS”) or an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) with either continuous or bunched extraction. The EBIS may provide higher charge states, whereas the ECRIS is able to work with much higher beam intensities and allows cw-operation. The advantage of each scheme is explained and some design requirements of the different sources are presented.

Laser preparation of bunched ion beams

Laser ionization at ISOLDE is performed with high repetition laser beams in the ion source unit and for daughter elements with low repetition lasers synchronized with laser desorption from a secondary target. We are preparing an implementation of thermal adsorption followed by laser desorption and laser ionization in the target ion source unit of ISOLDE. The combination of resonance ionization with thermal bunching allows the preparation of bunched and chemically pure ion beams. Bunched ion beams of Mg or Ca are prepared for post-acceleration at REX-ISOLDE. In order to investigate the process of adsorption and pulsed laser desorption, experiments are performed with Ba vapour. In a test setup Ba is effusing from an oven and adsorbed on a cooled surface, which can be heated by a pulsed Nd: YAG laser beam. The adsorption and bunched release of Ba atoms is detected via resonance absorption of the 6s 2 1S 0 → 6s6p 1P 1 atomic line at λ = 553 nm with a single mode dye laser.

Recent developments of the EXCYT project

The aim of the EXCYT project is to develop a facility for the production and the acceleration of exotic beams up to 8 MeV/amu. The primary beams shall be provided by the now operational K-800 superconducting cyclotron and the exotic ions will be accelerated by a 15 MV Tandem. We will describe the cyclotron source and its axial injection system, the transfer beam line sending the primary beams onto the target and the target-ion source unit. Also we will describe the planned high resolution isobar separator that should allow to perform either nuclear or astrophysical and material science experiments. This separator consists of a pre-separator and two main stages and should provide an overall mass resolving power up to m/Dm ≈ 20000.

Selection of targets and ion sources for radioactive ion beam generation at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facilitya)

In this article, we describe the performance characteristics for a selected number of target ion sources that will be employed for initial use at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility as well as prototype ion sources that show promise for future use for radioactive ion beam applications. A brief review of present efforts to select target materials and to design composite target matrix/heat-sink systems that simultaneously incorporate the short diffusion lengths, high permeabilities, and controllable temperatures required to effect fast and efficient diffusion release of the short-lived species is also given.

Targets and ion sources for RIB generation at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility

The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF), now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is based on the use of the well-known on-line isotope separator (ISOL) technique in which radioactive nuclei are produced by fusion type reactions in selectively chosen target materials by high-energy proton, deuteron, or He ion beams from the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC). Among several major challenges posed by generating and accelerating adequate intensities of radioactive ion beams (RIBs), selection of the most appropriate target material for production of the species of interest is, perhaps, the most difficult. In this report, we briefly review present efforts to select target materials and to design composite target matrix/heat-sink systems that simultaneously incorporate the short diffusion lengths, high permeabilities, and controllable temperatures required to effect maximum diffusion release rates of the short-lived species that can be realized at the temperature limits of specific target materials. We also describe the performance characteristics for a selected number of target ion sources that will be employed for initial use at the HRIBF as well as prototype ion sources that show promise for future use for RIB applications.

Proposal for a radioactive nuclear beam facility at CIAE

The proposal for a radioactive nuclear beam facility at CIAE is based on the present HI-13 tandem accelerator. A new intensity proton cyclotron accelerator will be built to provide a primary proton beam with 70 MeV, 200 μA. A thick target-ion source system and an on-line isotope mass separator system will produce the interesting exotic radioactive nuclear beam. The beam then passes through a charge exchange canal to change its charge state to negative ion and is injected into the present HI-13 tandem. A super conducting heavy ion linac accelerator will be built as a post accelerator, which can give an energy gain of 17 MeV/ q. A 5 MeV/ A radioactive exotic ion beam with an intensity of more than 6 × 10 8 p.p.s for masses up to A = 130 will be expected with this facility.

Selection of targets and ion sources for radioactive ion beam generation at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (invited) (abstract)a),b)

In this report, we describe the performance characteristics for a selected number of target ion sources that will be employed for initial use at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility as well as prototype ion sources that show promise for future use for radioactive ion beam applications. A brief review of present efforts to select target materials and to design composite target matrix/heat-sink systems that simultaneously incorporate the short diffusion lengths, high permeabilities, and controllable temperatures required to effect fast and efficient diffusion release of the short-lived species is also given.

Efficiency and delay of the integrated target-ion source of OSIRIS

The new compact target and ion source system of the OSIRIS ISOL-facility at Studsvik has now been in use for about five years. The system is used for studies of short lived nuclei obtained through fission with reactor neutrons. The ion source can simply be switched between two modes of operation, one being (thermal) surface ionization and the other an electron impact induced plasma mode. The efficiency for most elements in the fission product region has been measured. The use of a substantial (gram quantity) amount of target material introduces a delay between a fission event and the subsequent ionization of the products. This delay in a U+C target has been analyzed for several elements. Some observations of nuclidic yields as a function of the target temperature are reported.