Transverse laser cooling of a radio-frequency bunched ion beam in the storage ring TSR

Abstract We report on the observation of the indirect transverse laser cooling effect in a radio-frequency bunched beam of 7.3 MeV 9 Be + ions, stored in the Heidelberg Test Storage Ring and subject to direct longitudinal laser cooling. This bunched scheme offers particular advantages for producing ultracold beams with unprecedented phase-space densities.

LASER SPECTROSCOPY WITH A COOLER RING AT THE ESR (GSI) AND THE TSR (MPI HEIDELBERG)

At the TSR cooler ring at Heidelberg, laser studies were carried out using singly charged lithium and beryllium ions. Laser spectroscopy of relativistic lithium ions (v=0.04c) yielded signals with a narrow linewidth, suitable for an experimental test of special relativity. A dramatic reduction of the beam temperature, as defined by the longitudinal velocity spread, was achieved via laser cooling in both cases. At the ion energies available at ESR it will become possible to prepare and store bare ions up to U92+. Electron cooling was succesfully demonstrated for hydrogen-like Bi82+ ions, where a laser experiment is scheduled to study the ground-state hyperfine splitting.

Test of Special Relativity in a Heavy Ion Storage Ring

Laser cooling of stored high-velocity ions by means of the spontaneous force

A longitudinal laser cooling of ion beams at about 5% of the velocity of light has been performed at the Heidelberg Test Storage Ring with various cooling schemes employing the spontaneous force. For a 7.29-MeV $^{9}\mathrm{Be}^{+}$ beam with an initial longitudinal temperature of 2700 K, the main characteristics of laser cooling in a storage ring are discussed. When undamped, the transverse betatron oscillations of the coasting ions limit the longitudinal temperature after laser cooling to typically 1 K. After damping the transverse motion by precooling the ions with an electron cooler, longitudinal temperatures of below 30 mK have been obtained in the subsequent laser cooling. In this cas…