A1 Journal article (refereed)
Separation of atomic and molecular ions by ion mobility with an RF carpet (2021)

Miskun, Ivan, Dickel, Timo, San Andrés, Samuel Ayet, Bergmann, Julian, Constantin, Paul, Ebert Jens, Geissel, Hans, Greiner, Florian, Haettner, Emma, Hornung, Christine, Lippert, Wayne, Mardor, Israel, Moore, Iain, Plaß, Wolfgang R., Purushothaman, Sivaji, Rink, Ann-Kathrin, Reiter, Moritz P., Scheidenberger, Christoph, Weick, Helmut. (2021). Separation of atomic and molecular ions by ion mobility with an RF carpet. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 459, Article 116450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2020.116450

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Miskun, Ivan; Dickel, Timo; San Andrés, Samuel Ayet; Bergmann, Julian; Constantin, Paul; Ebert Jens; Geissel, Hans; Greiner, Florian; Haettner, Emma; Hornung, Christine; et al.

Journal or series: International Journal of Mass Spectrometry

ISSN: 1387-3806

eISSN: 1873-2798

Publication year: 2021

Volume: 459

Article number: 116450

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2020.116450

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/72798

Web address of parallel published publication (pre-print): https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.14467

Abstract

Gas-filled stopping cells are used at accelerator laboratories for the thermalization of high-energy radioactive ion beams. Common challenges of many stopping cells are a high molecular background of extracted ions and limitations of extraction efficiency due to space-charge effects. At the FRS Ion Catcher at GSI, a new technique for removal of ionized molecules prior to their extraction out of the stopping cell has been developed. This technique utilizes the RF carpet for the separation of atomic ions from molecular contaminant ions through their difference in ion mobility. Results from the successful implementation and test during an experiment with a 600 MeV/u 124 Xe primary beam are presented. Suppression of molecular contaminants by three orders of magnitude has been demonstrated. Essentially background-free measurement conditions with less than 1% of background events within a mass-to-charge range of 25 u/e have been achieved. The technique can also be used to reduce the space-charge effects at the extraction nozzle and in the downstream beamline, thus ensuring high efficiency of ion transport and highly-accurate measurements under space-charge-free conditions.

Keywords: ions; impurities; extraction (engineering); cleaning; physics; methods

Free keywords: ion mobility; gas cell; beam purification; molecular contamination; low-energy RIB; space charge

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2021

JUFO rating: 1