Recent Precision Experiments with Exotic Nuclei Produced with Uranium Projectiles and Experimental Prospects at Fair

¹ GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
² II. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany

^a e-mail: h.geissel@gsi.de

Published online: 20 March 2014

Abstract

Precision experiments with relativistic fragments separated in-flight require special experimentalmethods to overcome the inherent large emittance from the creation in nuclear reactions and atomic interactions in matter. At GSI relativistic exotic nuclei have been produced via uranium projectile fragmentation and fission and investigated with the inflight separator FRS directly, or in combination with either the storage-cooler ring ESR or the FRS Ion Catcher. 1000 A·MeV ²³⁸U ions were used to create 60 new neutron-rich isotopes separated and identified with the FRS to measure their production cross sections. In another experimental campaign the fragments were separated in flight and injected into the storage-cooler ring ESR for accurate mass and lifetime measurements. In these experimentswe have obtained accurate new mass values analyzed via a novel method which has reduced the systematic errors for both Schottky Mass Spectrometry (SMS) and for Isochronous Mass Spectrometry (IMS). Pioneering experiments have been carried out with the FRS Ion Catcher consisting of three experimental components, the dispersive magnetic system of the FRS with a monoenergetic and a homogeneous degrader, a cryogenic stopping cell filled with pure helium and a multiple-reflection time-of flight mass separator. The FRS Ion Catcher enables high precision spectroscopy experiments with eV to keV exotic nuclides. Results from these different FRS experiments are presented in this overview together with prospects for the next-generation facility Super-FRS. The novel features of the Super-FRS compared with the present FRS will be discussed in addition.