Status of the JENSA gas-jet target for experiments with rare isotope beams

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and current status of the JENSA gas-jet target, highlighting its design, recent measurements, and advantages for experiments with rare isotope beams at major nuclear physics facilities.

Contribution

It provides a detailed description of the JENSA gas-jet target system, recent experimental measurements, and comparisons with other similar targets, advancing the application of gas-jet targets in nuclear physics research.

Findings

Helium jet thicknesses up to 10^19 atoms/cm^2 achieved.

Recirculating gas system effectively maintains jet properties.

Comparison shows advantages over other supersonic gas-jet targets.

Abstract

The JENSA gas-jet target was designed for experiments with radioactive beams provided by the rare isotope re-accelerator ReA3 at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The gas jet will be the main target for the Separator for Capture Reactions SECAR at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams on the campus of Michigan State University, USA. In this work, we describe the advantages of a gas-jet target, detail the current recirculating gas system, and report recent measurements of helium jet thicknesses of up to about $10^{19}$ atoms/cm$^2$. Finally a comparison with other supersonic gas-jet targets is presented.