ISOLTRAP's multi-reflection time-of-flight mass separator/spectrometer

• Multi-reflection time-of-flight mass separator for purification of radioactive ion beams.
• Enhanced ion beam purification by stacking of multiple cleaned ion samples in an intermediate ion trap to increase the signal intensity of Penning trap mass measurements.
• Multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer for high-precision mass measurements of short-lived species.
• Multi-reflection time-of-flight mass analyzer for target and ion-source development of exotic beams.

The online precision mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP at ISOLDE/CERN was recently upgraded by adding a multi-reflection time-of-flight mass separator/spectrometer (MR-ToF MS) between the linear radio-frequency ion trap and the two Penning traps already in place. As a mass separator, the MR-ToF device has improved significantly ISOLTRAP's capability of purification of contaminated ion beams. In addition, the MR-ToF MS can be operated as a mass spectrometer, either to analyze the ISOLDE ion beam or for precision mass measurements of nuclides that are shorter-lived or that have lower yields than those accessible for Penning-trap mass spectrometry. The MR-ToF MS and corresponding components, its integration into ISOLTRAP, and its various operation modes are reviewed. Furthermore, a precision measurement of the 137Eu mass is presented, determined with the help of the MR-ToF device as a mass separator.

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