Magdalena Kowalska, CERN PH-SME-IS ISOLDE scientific coordinator’s report ISCC meeting, November 4, 2010 Running period 2010 Status of INTC shifts Accelerator schedule 2011 Long shutdown (2012 or 2013) Status of ISOLDE experiments New ISOLDE web page Magdalena Kowalska, CERN PH-SME-IS

ISOLDE experiments and requests 2010 INTC February 2010 5 new experiments: IS499 – IS503 132 approved RIB shifts (out of 183 requested) 8 experiments completed (3 REX experiments): IS381, IS414, IS415, IS417, IS418, IS425, IS431, IS469 69 active experiments for 2010 beam period INTC June 2010: 34 HIE LOIs INTC November 2010 189 shifts requested in new proposals and addenda 21 shifts requested by LOIs

ISOLDE schedule 2010 (May 6 - Nov 21) ~29 weeks for physics vs 31 weeks in 2009 Requested shifts: 667 in total 93 different beams 627.5 for 50 experiments GPS HRS Scheduled shifts (~73%): 480 in total 75 different beams 443 for 41 experiments REX-ISOLDE: 432 shifts requested 160 shifts scheduled (~37%) 11 experiments (7 runs) additional WITCH runs (need REXTRAP)

Main problems in 2010 (I) TISD on Sm RILIS and target test: no laser ionised Sm visible SSP collections with YO HP target: Strong stable contamination, not much physics output, but promising yields of Fe and Cr beams GPS HRS YO CP target for 1st REX-ISOLDE run: 9C yield dropped quickly after start – run not successful – need target tests ZrO target with RILIS for Ga at COLLAPS: Target broken right before on-line run – cancelled WITCH run on Ta W target: Very contaminated rare-earth beam, but some recoil spectra (on mixed beam) could be recorded Miniball run on 72Kr from YO CP target: 10-fold yield drop within a few days, strong 72Ge contamin.

Main problems in 2010 (II) Pb HP target for SSP collections: GLM deflection plates blocked (broken pinion); no beam for users ISOLTRAP run with UC CP target: No 46,47Ar visible among very strong stable contamination of SC(H). No masses measured but multi-reflection isobar separator commissioned . GPS HRS 96Kr Minball run with UC CP target: many contaminants and weak Kr signal at Miniball but 96Kr E(2+) observed in 2009 confirmed 202Rn Miniball run: target broke in the middle of the run; only partial statistics collected 220Rn Miniball run: cancelled due to target failure during 202Rn run

Main problems in 2010 (III) 70-72Kr from YO CP target for ISOLTRAP: No beams visible among large Cl contamin. but more tests with multireflection isobar separator 30Na from UC W target to Miniball: measured yield and counts at Miniball much below database value. Beam given to next user. GPS HRS Mn beam for Mossbauer studies (UC Ta): GPS HV trips above 30kV (requested HV>50kV). Extraction electrode exchanged and 40kV allowed very good results. N-rich rare earths at ISOLTRAP (Ta W): no beam of interest found among stronger contamination. Another new mass measured. Tests of high-density UC target: GPS turbo fans go off. Pumps will probably survive only 3-4 days.

2010 online shifts Shift backlog after Feb10 meeting : 877 shifts Neutron doserate in Sv/h in ISOLDE HV room Ca. proportional to proton intensity at the target => Upper limit on online shifts delivered until November 1: 320-330 shifts Shift backlog after Feb10 meeting : 877 shifts Assuming that until end of 2010 we will have delivered around 350 shifts => Shifts remaining for 2011: around 530 + shifts approved in November => above 700 shifts to be scheduled

Accelerator schedule 2011 (draft) ISOLDE dates (still prelimin.) protons to ISOLDE April 25 physics start ISOLDE May 2 protons stop November 20 (i.e. 29 weeks for physics vs 29.5 in 2010) Shutdown period used for new GPS front-end Several 24h injector stops every 6 weeks. Several long periods of machine development partly with parasitic beam to ISOLDE (not guaranteed)

Long CERN-wide shutdown One year shutdown of CERN accelerator complex (to save money and manpower) planned for 2012 However: - LHC runs better than expected CERN/LHC competitor Fermilab might run after 2011 nobody is happy about the exact date of the shutdown It is very probable that shutdown is postponed to 2013, which will be better for ISOLDE and HIE-ISOLDE. (Decision will be taken in late spring/early summer 2011.) ISOLDE planning/running with 1-year shutdown at 2012 or 2013: go ahead with GPS front-end exchange in 2010/2011 shutdown priorities for scheduling in 2011: as normal (experiments waiting for beam longest) + projects for a PhD thesis (in case shutdown takes place in 2012) INTC accepts regular proposals in February 2011 (June and November to be discussed) some weeks of offline physics

Long CERN-wide shutdown We asked operations group and directorate for access to necessary infrastructure and support (controls, vacuum, RP, etc) for 3-4 months after the usual stop of ISOLDE physics (i.e.December-February or March). Our request was taken note of. Some ideas for offline physics were collected informally from various users: Examples of requests for long-lived species: Extracted from ISOLDE irradiated target: Plunger t1/2 measurements (require more beamtime, e.g. 216Po) Decay studies of long-lived nuclides Mass measurements (e.g. on neutrinoless double beta decay) Tensor current search with 60Co at NICOLE With samples irradiated elsewhere (e.g. PSI or ILL) and using the ISOLDE mass-selection capability and some of its experimental systems: 7Be for SSP and T-REX Ar from irradiated Ti foil: 39Ar for astrophysics, 42Ar for MINIBALL Ion-implanted 26Al target for astrophysics cross sections Requests for stable beams, mainly for setup characterisation: WITCH, NICOLE

Status of experiments - ECR ECR removal and new GHM experiment Many ECR parts waiting for transport to GANIL shipped yesterday

Status of experiments - MISTRAL Clean-up continues 22 ton magnet moved to CERN long-term storage only electronics and some vacuum parts remain

Status of experiments - Beta-NMR Beta-NMR system in place Beta-scintillator tests ongoing. Foil holder and connection to ISOLDE beamline still missing (delays at Rehovot). September tests with Be had to be cancelled. Tests of polarisation using Coulex on stable Ne beam done in Nov09: lower statistics than expected, analysis ongoing, no polarisation code available for comparison with data PhD students got some data for their theses: Christophe: Coluex on n-rich Rb isotopes Hans: analyse part of 11Be T-REX data

Status of experiments - CRIS Installation completed Prototype experiment for new safety structure Off-line run allowed successful tests of ion transmission Lasers working and laser tables ready First on-line run planned for November 2010 New CERN PhD student: Kara Lynch

Status of experiments - WITCH Additional shielding for REX mass separator under installation (to be tested with REX beam soon) Commissioning run in week 25: recoil spectra recorded. However, ISOLDE beam was a cocktail of rare-earth isobars and no identification or cleaning were possible at WITCH Physics run on 35Ar scheduled for week 46

Status of experiments - HV Platform Dismantled and removed HRS collection point to be mounted soon (needs to be properly shielded with concrete)

Status of experiments - GLM Some improvement in vacuum and beam focusing New setup available and to be installed soon Improvement of concrete shielding ongoing

New ISOLDE web page Online since September 2010: changes in layout and content missing info is filled up step by step some new elements, like NEWS