PRECISE NUCLEAR PHYSICS MEASUREMENTS WITH ION TRAPS

Abstract

Ion traps are well suited for precision measurements also with exotic and rare species as radioactive nuclei. They provide a well controlled storage volume, stable fields and the means to handle the ion sample. The applications are first of all precise mass measurements and the therewith connected physics questions. Furthermore, ion traps are used to manipulate slow ion beams, to purify samples for decay spectroscopy or to observe the decay itself to measure for instance the β - ν correlation. An overview of the existing ion trap facilities for radioactive nuclei is given.