Radioactive ion beam production at the Gamma Factory

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method at CERN's Gamma Factory to produce high-yield radioactive ion beams from photo-fission of actinides, enabling detailed studies of neutron-rich nuclei with optimized extraction techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel setup for generating and extracting radioactive ion beams using gamma-induced fission and cryogenic gas cells, with detailed yield estimates and space charge impact analysis.

Findings

High production yields of neutron-rich nuclei are achievable.

Space charge effects influence extraction efficiency and require beam chopping.

The proposed method enables advanced nuclear structure research.

Abstract

A very intense gamma beam of the Gamma Factory facility proposed at CERN can be used to generate radioactive ion beams (RIBs) with high production yields and study the structure of exotic neutron-rich nuclei. The radioactive nuclides are generated via photo-fission in several actinide targets and thermalized in high-purity cryogenic helium, filling a gas cell which is enclosing the targets. Electric fields are used to extract heavy ions and form RIBs which can be sent to various selection and measurement stations. Estimates for the production and extraction yields of exotic neutron-rich nuclei with such a setup are provided. A study of the impact of space charge, build-up inside the gas cell, on the extraction properties is presented and it is demonstrated that the beam needs to be chopped for achieving optimal extraction yields.