A new beamline for resonant excitation of beams with electromagnetic fields and lasers (REBEL) and stopping and trapping of radioactive isotopes for precision experiments (STRIPE)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present two newly constructed experimental setups-REBEL (Resonant Excitation of Beams with Electromagnetic fields and Lasers) and STRIPE (Stopping and Trapping of Radioactive Isotopes for Precision Experiments)-integrated into a single offline beamline at KU Leuven. REBEL is designed for collinear laser spectroscopy of ion bunches, including isobaric separation with a multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer, enabling high-sensitivity measurements of mass-selected fast-ion beams. In contrast, STRIPE focuses on the deceleration, trapping, and laser cooling of ions in a segmented linear Paul trap, optimized for long interrogation times and precision spectroscopy. The shared infrastructure features stable high-voltage operation (<10 ppm), modular vacuum sections, and a fast-beam switchyard to route ions to either experiment. Initial results include a mass-resolving power of R ≈ 12 900 in REBEL and successful ion trapping and laser cooling of ions with a kinetic energy of 10 keV in STRIPE, with improved performance achieved using a frequency-modulated cooling laser. This dual-system platform enables the development and benchmarking of advanced spectroscopy and trapping techniques and is compatible with future operation at radioactive ion beam facilities.
Source: Review of Scientific Instruments
DOI: 10.1063/5.0287178
Institutions: KU Leuven, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Awards: High-resolution laser spectroscopy of radioactive molecules with CRIS : towards a new method for searches of New Physics Beyond the Standaard Model, G1441234325, A new window on the atomic nucleus through high-precision atomic spectroscopy techniques, Nuclear structure of unexplored light nuclei, G3807531038, G4375706534, Research on radioactive nuclei at ISOLDE-CERN, SPIRAL2-GANIL and MEDICIS-CERN, G6047905745, Sympathetic cooling of radioactive 26mAl to test the standard model, Laser spectroscopy near exotic doubly-magic nuclei to benchmark state-of-the art nuclear theories.
OpenAlex ID: W4414017137