0000000000929489
AUTHOR
S. Chenmarev
Direct Measurement of the Mass Difference ofHo163andDy163Solves theQ-Value Puzzle for the Neutrino Mass Determination
The atomic mass difference of (163)Ho and (163)Dy has been directly measured with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer SHIPTRAP applying the novel phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance technique. Our measurement has solved the long-standing problem of large discrepancies in the Q value of the electron capture in (163)Ho determined by different techniques. Our measured mass difference shifts the current Q value of 2555(16) eV evaluated in the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2012 [G. Audi et al., Chin. Phys. C 36, 1157 (2012)] by more than 7σ to 2833(30(stat))(15(sys)) eV/c(2). With the new mass difference it will be possible, e.g., to reach in the first phase of the ECHo experiment a statistical sensit…
Quartz resonators for penning traps toward mass spectrometry on the heaviest ions
We report on cyclotron frequency measurements on trapped 206,207Pb+ ions by means of the non-destructive Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron-resonance technique at room temperature. In a proof-of-principle experiment using a quartz crystal instead of a coil as a resonator, we have alternately carried out cyclotron frequency measurements for 206Pb+ and 207Pb+ with the sideband coupling method to obtain 21 cyclotron-frequency ratios with a statistical uncertainty of 6 × 10−7. The mean frequency ratio R¯ deviates by about 2σ from the value deduced from the masses reported in the latest Atomic Mass Evaluation. We anticipate that this shift is due to the ion–ion interaction between the simultaneousl…
First online operation of TRIGA-TRAP
Abstract We report on the successful coupling of the Penning-trap mass spectrometry setup TRIGA-TRAP to the research reactor TRIGA Mainz. This offers the possibility to perform direct high-precision mass measurements of short-lived nuclei produced in neutron-induced fission of a 235 U target located near the reactor core. An aerosol-based gas-jet system is used for efficient transport of short-lived neutron-rich nuclei from the target chamber to a surface ion source. In conjunction with new ion optics and extended beam monitoring capabilities, the experimental setup has been fully commissioned. The design of the surface ion source, efficiency studies and first results are presented.
A quartz amplifier for high-sensitivity Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron-resonance measurements with trapped ions
Single-ion sensitivity is obtained in precision Penning-trap experiments devoted to light (anti)particles or ions with low mass-to-charge ratios, by adding an inductance coil to an amplifier connected to the trap, both operated at 4 K. However, single-ion sensitivity has not been reached on heavy singly or doubly charged ions. In this publication, we present a new system to reach this point, based on the use of a quartz crystal as an inductance, together with a newly developed broad-band (BB) amplifier. We detect the reduced-cyclotron frequency of 40Ca+ ions stored in a 7-tesla open-ring Penning trap. By comparing the detected electric signal obtained with the BB amplifier and the fluoresce…