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arXiv:1312.3562 · Journal of Instrumentation

Commissioning of the Francium Trapping Facility at TRIUMF

M Tandecki, J Zhang, R Collister, S Aubin, J A Behr, E Gomez, G Gwinner, Luis A. Orozco, M.R. Pearson

Published Dec 11, 2013• 27 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We report on the successful commissioning of the Francium Trapping Facility at TRIUMF. Large laser-cooled samples of francium are produced from a francium ion beam delivered by the ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. The ion beam is neutralized on an yttrium foil, which is subsequently heated to transfer the atoms into the magneto-optical trapping region. We have successfully trapped 207 Fr, 209 Fr and 221 Fr, with a maximum of 2.5 × 10 5 209 Fr atoms. The neutral cold atoms will be used in studies of the weak interaction through measurements of atomic parity non-conservation.

DOI
10.1088/1748-0221/8/12/p12006

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We report on the successful commissioning of the Francium Trapping Facility at TRIUMF. Large laser-cooled samples of francium are produced from a francium ion beam delivered by the ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. The ion beam is neutralized on an yttrium foil, which is subsequently heated to transfer the atoms into the magneto-optical trapping region. We have successfully trapped 207 Fr, 209 Fr and 221 Fr, with a maximum of 2.5 × 10 5 209 Fr atoms. The neutral cold atoms will be used in studies of the weak interaction through measurements of atomic parity non-conservation.
Summary form only given. We have constructed a new apparatus for on-line magneto-optical trapping of radioactive francium atoms at the Stony Brook Superconducting LINAC. An ion beam with an energy of /spl sim/100 MeV from the accelerator strikes a target of gold or isotopically enriched platinum mounted on the end of a tungsten rod. A heavy-ion fusion reaction [/sup 16,18/O(/sup 197/Au,xn) or /sup 19/F(/sup 198/Pt,xn)] selectively produces the isotopes /sup 208-212/Fr in the target room of the accelerator. The beam power and an auxiliary heater heat the target, allowing the francium to diffuse rapidly to the surface. The target ionizes the francium as it diffuses out. We then transport the francium as ions to a different room for subsequent neutralization and capture in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Since the transport system is electrostatic, it is mass independent, allowing us to transport any isotope of Fr or even other alkalis. We have delivered over 3/spl times/10/sup 6/ Fr/sec to a Faraday cup in front of the trap, and tests show greater than 90% transport efficiency from the target. A small constriction in the vacuum system separates the target and transport region from the trap, permitting differential pumping of the trap.
A magneto-optical trap for francium radioactive atoms has been set up at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Legnaro laboratories, and its characterization and optimization are under way. The main features of the Fr+ beam line, of the target, and of the magneto-optical trap are described in detail. Measurements of the Fr-ion production rate as a function of the target temperature, the primary beam intensity, and energy have been made. Preliminary tests with other stable alkali atoms aimed at an improvement of the magneto-optical trap collection efficiency are reported. Fast and efficient trap loading of rubidium has been obtained through the light-induced atomic desorption from an organic coating. A larger number of sodium atoms, as compared with a monochromatic trapping laser, has been trapped by use of a broadband laser.
We investigate neutralization processes (especially thermal surface neutralization), which are required for the magneto-optical trapping of radioactive atoms. A variety of neutralization methods are first summarized: neutral beam injection for fusion reactors, neutral atom implantation in semiconductor processing, and the production of radioactive neutral atoms in accelerators. We focus on thermal surface neutralization, which produces neutral atoms in the thermal energy range for laser cooling. The experiments were carried out with yttrium, gadolinium, and zirconium foils to neutralize francium and rubidium ions for magneto-optical trapping. The results reconfirm that yttrium foil is a good neutralizer (i.e., it has a neutral release efficiency >65%>65\%>65%). In addition, the release fraction when using yttrium foil exceeds 75\% at 1350 K, which is greater than the release fraction for the other foils. This reconfirmation is important because few previous studies have focused on thermal surface neutralization. Moreover, the results show that the neutralization efficiency is strongly influenced by the experimental process itself.