Mass Spectrometry at TITAN: Approaching the N = 20 Island of Inversion

Wednesday 8 May 2019, 14:15 → 15:00 Europe/Zurich

Andrew Earl Jacobs (TRIUMF)

To better understand nuclear structure, precision mass spectrometry of radioactive beams is required. Nuclides of interest become short lived and production rates drop further from stability. Additionally, these beams are frequently contaminated which can shift mass values or obscure the species of interest altogether. To help overcome these challenges, the Multiple-Reflection Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS) was commissioned at TRIUMF’s Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN). This device is capable of both beam purification and fast, precise, high-sensitivity mass measurements. Furthermore, these two different modes of operation can be used sequentially. Additionally, the technique of Collision Induced Dissociation has been developed to enable the suppression of molecular contamination by an order of magnitude to improve the quality of mass measurements. These capabilities were demonstrated during the mass measurements of neutron rich 24-26Ne in which precisions of approximately 10-7 were achieved. This approach towards the “island of inversion” motivates further measurements in this region and serves as a starting point for the chain of Ne isotopes crossing N = 20. Additionally, a general overview of the TRUMF laboratory and the Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC) facility will be given with a focus on the TITAN experiment.