Speaker
Description
Mass spectrometry plays a crucial role in numerous fields of physics research like nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure, and fundamental symmetries. Precise knowledge of masses is fundamental to these studies; for example, a relative mass precision of $\leq$10$^{-8}$ is required to probe the Standard Model and beyond. Penning traps have been involved in some of the most precise mass measurements in the Atomic Mass Evaluation to date. Penning trap mass spectrometry relies on measuring the cyclotron frequency of an ion in a homogeneous magnetic field. A technique called Phase-Imaging Ion-Cyclotron-Resonance, which enables masses of short-lived nuclides to be measured to relative precisions of $\sim$10$^{-9}$, is currently being implemented at the Penning trap at TITAN, TRIUMF. The coupling of the TITAN Penning trap to an Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) means that the precision can be improved further by boosting the charge state of the ions. An electron gun has been recently commissioned at the TITAN EBIT, which allows for improved electron beam compression and increased electron beam currents. The EBIT also facilitates better beam purification by breaking contaminant molecules, and creates a secondary ion source through the decay and recapture ion trapping technique. However, conducting mass measurement by trapping highly charged ions could lead to skewed results due to the increased likelihood that they interact and charge exchange with the environment. Such interactions could be minimized at ultra-high vacuum. An upgrade to the TITAN Penning trap system has been conducted to cool the trap to cryogenic temperatures using cryoabsorption and cryocondensation, and attain a vacuum of $\sim$10$^{-11}$ mbar. This has also permitted measurements to be conducted over longer periods (on the order of seconds) in the trap, leading to a further increase in precision. A summary of the upgrades will be presented along with results from commissioning of the cryogenic trap with rare isotope beams, and ongoing characterization.
