Upgrade of the ATLAS 10 GHz ECRIS

A major renovation of the ATLAS 10 GHz ECRIS, which began operations in 1987, is in the planning and acquisition phase. The old two-stage source will be converted to a single stage design including a high gradient magnetic field, electron donor disk, large radial ports, and flexible modular design. Eight solenoid coils taken from the existing ECR will produce the axial mirror. The individual coils will be encased in an iron yoke that optimizes the magnetic field. Computer modeling of the field profile yields a minimum field along the axis of 3.0 kG with mirror ratios of 4.4 and 2.9. An open hexapole configuration consisting of Nd-Fe-B bars enclosed in an austenitic stainless steel housing will be placed in an aluminium plasma chamber that will be water cooled along the poles of the hexapole. The hexapole field at the chamber wall, 4 cm in radius, is expected to be 9.3 kG along the magnet poles and 5.7 kG along the center of the pole gaps, which are 2.4 cm wide. A 3D model produced from individual 2D field profiles was used to check the end effects of the hexapole. Based on the models this new field configuration is capable of supporting a second ECR resonance zone at 14 GHz, which may be implemented at a later date

Direct Observation of Hyperfine Quenching of the (2)3p0 Level in Helium-Like Nickel

Journals published by the American Physical Society can be found at http://publish.aps.org/We report a clear demonstration of the effect of hyperfine quenching of a forbidden transition by direct comparison of the lifetimes of the 2 3P0 level in the heliumlike isotopes Ni-61(26+) and Ni-58(26+). We find the quenched lifetime of the 2 3P0 level in Ni-61(26+) to be 470(50) ps. From this we deduce the 2 3P0-2 3P1 energy splitting to be 2.33(15) eV. We also report a measurement of the lifetime of the 2 3P2 level in Ni-58(26+), which is found to be 70(3) ps

High-Sensitivity Measurement of 3He-4He Isotopic Ratios for Ultracold Neutron Experiments

Research efforts ranging from studies of solid helium to searches for a neutron electric dipole moment require isotopically purified helium with a ratio of 3He to 4He at levels below that which can be measured using traditional mass spectroscopy techniques. We demonstrate an approach to such a measurement using accelerator mass spectroscopy, reaching the 10e-14 level of sensitivity, several orders of magnitude more sensitive than other techniques. Measurements of 3He/4He in samples relevant to the measurement of the neutron lifetime indicate the need for substantial corrections. We also argue that there is a clear path forward to sensitivity increases of at least another order of magnitude.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

Stellar 36,38^{36,38}Ar(n,γ)37,39(n,\gamma)^{37,39}Ar reactions and their effect on light neutron-rich nuclide synthesis

The $^{36}$Ar$(n,\gamma)^{37}$Ar ($t_{1/2}$ = 35 d) and $^{38}$Ar$(n,\gamma)^{39}$Ar (269 y) reactions were studied for the first time with a quasi-Maxwellian ($kT \sim 47$ keV) neutron flux for Maxwellian Average Cross Section (MACS) measurements at stellar energies. Gas samples were irradiated at the high-intensity Soreq applied research accelerator facility-liquid-lithium target neutron source and the $^{37}$Ar/$^{36}$Ar and $^{39}$Ar/$^{38}$Ar ratios in the activated samples were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry at the ATLAS facility (Argonne National Laboratory). The $^{37}$Ar activity was also measured by low-level counting at the University of Bern. Experimental MACS of $^{36}$Ar and $^{38}$Ar, corrected to the standard 30 keV thermal energy, are 1.9(3) mb and 1.3(2) mb, respectively, differing from the theoretical and evaluated values published to date by up to an order of magnitude. The neutron capture cross sections of $^{36,38}$Ar are relevant to the stellar nucleosynthesis of light neutron-rich nuclides; the two experimental values are shown to affect the calculated mass fraction of nuclides in the region A=36-48 during the weak $s$-process. The new production cross sections have implications also for the use of $^{37}$Ar and $^{39}$Ar as environmental tracers in the atmosphere and hydrosphere.Comment: 18 pages + Supp. Mat. (13 pages) Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

A new 14 GHz Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) for the heavy ion accelerator facility ATLAS

A 14 GHz Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) has been designed and built at Argonne National Laboratory. The source is a modification of the AECR at Berkeley and incorporates the latest results from ECR developments to produce intense beams of highly charged ions, including an improved magnetic confinement of the plasma electrons with an axial mirror ratio of 3.5. The aluminum plasma chamber and extraction electrode as well as a biased disk on axis at the microwave injection side donates additional electrons to the plasma, making use of the large secondary electron yield from aluminum oxide. The source is capable of ECR plasma heating using two different frequencies simultaneously to increase the electron energy gain for the production of high charge states. The main design goal is to produce several e{mu}A of at least {sup 238}U{sup 35+} in order to accelerate the beam to coulomb-barrier energies without further stripping. First charge state distributions for gaseous elements have been measured and 210 e{mu}A {sup 16}O{sup 7+} has been achieved. A normalized 90% emittance from 0.1 to 0.2 {pi} mm{sm_bullet}mrad for krypton and oxygen beam has been found

A new 14 GHz electron-cyclotron-resonance ion source (ECRIS) for the heavy ion accelerator facility ATLAS: a status report

A new 14 GHz ECRIS has been designed and built over the last 2 years. The source, a modification of the Berkeley AECR, incorporates the latest results from ECR developments to produce intense beams of highly charged ions, i.e., an improved electron confinement with an axial magnetic mirror ratio of 3.5 and a radial magnetic field inside the plasma chamber of 1.0 T. The aluminium plasma chamber and extraction electrode as well as a biased disk on axis at the microwave injection side donate additional electrons to the plasma, making use of the large secondary electron yield from Al oxide. Slots in the plasma chamber allow for radial pumping which increases the AECR performance. The source will also be capable of additional ECR plasma heating using two frequencies simultaneously to increase the electron energy gain for producing high charge states. To be able to deliver usable intensities of the heaviest ion beams, the design will also allow for axial access for metal evaporation ovens and solid material samples using plasma sputtering. Main design goal is to produce several e{mu}A of U{sup 34+} in order to obtain Coulomb- barrier energies from ATLAS without further stripping

High-sensitivity measurement of ^3He−^4He isotopic ratios for ultracold neutron experiments

Research efforts ranging from studies of solid helium to searches for a neutron electric dipole moment require isotopically purified helium with a ratio of ^3He to ^4He at levels below that which can be measured using traditional mass spectroscopy techniques. We demonstrate an approach to such a measurement using accelerator mass spectroscopy, reaching the 10^(−14) level of sensitivity, several orders of magnitude more sensitive than other techniques. Measurements of ^3He/^4He in samples relevant to the measurement of the neutron lifetime indicate the need for substantial corrections. We also argue that there is a clear path forward to sensitivity increases of at least another order of magnitude