New technology improves measurement accuracy of short-lived nuclei
Researchers at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR) have introduced Tune-IMS, a technology designed to improve the accuracy of isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) in the measurement of short-lived nuclei. This development provides sophisticated data for nuclear structure studies, with potential applications in astrophysics, nuclear energy, and medicine.
Tune-IMS technology has demonstrated the ability to improve mass accuracy for certain short-lived nuclei such as 63Ge, 65As, 67Se, and 71Kr. Compared to previous IMS methods, we further exploit the betatron vibrations of the ions to further reduce the mass error. This is especially important for short-lived nuclides.
“Our method can achieve higher precision for isotopes that have been difficult to measure so far,” said Professor Meng Wang, principal investigator of the project. “This could benefit ongoing research in nuclear physics and related fields.”
The research results are published in the journal Nuclear Science and Techniques.
The increased accuracy provided by Tune-IMS provides researchers studying nuclear reactions with more reliable data, which is critical to understanding processes such as stellar evolution and the formation of stellar elements. There is a possibility that More accurate mass measurements could also contribute to nuclear research, where accurate data can increase reactor efficiency and improve safety protocols.
Furthermore, this advance could also be useful in nuclear medicine. In nuclear medicine, isotopes used for diagnostic imaging and therapy require accurate mass data for stability and effectiveness.
Traditional isochronous mass spectrometry (IMS) has faced challenges in achieving high accuracy, especially for short-lived nuclei. These limitations are related to the spread of the ion’s magnetic rigidity and can affect the resolution of mass measurements.
Tune-IMS technology addresses this issue by utilizing betatron oscillations, reducing rotation time variations and improving measurement accuracy. This method has been successfully tested with several nuclides and compares favorably with established IMS methods.
Although Tune-IMS offers an improvement, current methods require the selection of specific vibrational values, which limits the number of ions available for analysis. The research team is developing a new time-of-flight detector with position sensitivity to address this limitation, aiming to increase the efficiency and applicability of the method.
“By improving the sensitivity of the detector, we hope to expand the range of nuclei that can be studied with Tune-IMS,” said Professor Wang.
Tune-IMS technology improves the accuracy of mass measurements of short-lived nuclei and has potential applications in both basic nuclear research and practical fields such as nuclear energy and medicine. HIRFL-CSR researchers plan to continue developing the technology to expand its scope.
Further information: Han-Yu Deng et al., Improved isochronous mass spectrometry with entrainment measurements, Nuclear Science and Techniques (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s41365-024-01580-5
Provided by Nuclear Science and Technology Company
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