CERN Accelerating science

Article
Report number	arXiv:2303.12215
Title	In-source and in-trap formation of molecular ions in the actinide mass range at CERN-ISOLDE
Author(s)	Au, M. (CERN ; Mainz U.) ; Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis, M. (CERN ; Leuven U.) ; Nies, L. (CERN ; Greifswald U.) ; Ballof, J. (CERN ; Michigan State U., East Lansing (main) ; Philipps U. Marburg) ; Berger, R. (CERN) ; Chrysalidis, K. (CERN) ; Fischer, P. (Greifswald U.) ; Heinke, R. (CERN) ; Johnson, J. (Leuven U.) ; Köster, U. (CERN ; Laue-Langevin Inst.) ; Leimbach, D. (CERN) ; Marsh, B. (CERN) ; Mougeot, M. (CERN ; Heidelberg, Max Planck Inst.) ; Reich, B. ; Reilly, J. (Manchester U.) ; Reis, E. (CERN) ; Schlaich, M. (Darmstadt, Tech. U.) ; Schweiger, Ch. (CERN ; Heidelberg, Max Planck Inst.) ; Schweikhard, L. (Greifswald U.) ; Stegemann, S. (CERN) ; Wessolek, J. (CERN ; Manchester U.) ; Wienholtz, F. (Darmstadt, Tech. U.) ; Wilkins, S.G. (CERN ; MIT) ; Wojtaczka, W. (Leuven U.) ; Düllmann, Ch.E. (Mainz U. ; Darmstadt, GSI ; Helmholtz Inst., Mainz) ; Rothe, S. (CERN)
Publication	2023-06-02
Imprint	2023-03-21
Number of pages	5
In:	Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., B 541 (2023) 375-379
DOI	10.1016/j.nimb.2023.05.015 (publication)
Subject category	physics.ins-det ; Detectors and Experimental Techniques
Accelerator/Facility, Experiment	CERN ISOLDE
Abstract	The use of radioactive molecules for fundamental physics research is a developing interdisciplinary field limited dominantly by their scarce availability. In this work, radioactive molecular ion beams containing actinide nuclei extracted from uranium carbide targets are produced via the Isotope Separation On-Line technique at the CERN-ISOLDE facility. Two methods of molecular beam production are studied: extraction of molecular ion beams from the ion source, and formation of molecular ions from the mass-separated ion beam in a gas-filled radio-frequency quadrupole ion trap. Ion currents of U$^+$, UO$_{1-3}^+$, UC$_{1-3}^+$, UF$_{1-4}^+$, UF$_{1,2}$O$_{1,2}^+$ are reported. Metastable tantalum and uranium fluoride molecular ions are identified. Formation of UO$_{1-3}^+$, U(OH)$_{1-3}^+$, UC$_{1-3}^+$, UF$_{1,2}$O$_{1,2}^+$ from mass-separated beams of U$^+$, UF$_{1,2}^+$ with residual gas is observed in the ion trap. The effect of trapping time on molecular formation is presented.
Copyright/License	publication: © 2023-2024 The Author(s) (License: CC-BY-4.0) preprint: (License: CC BY 4.0)

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