The vacuum solutions provider today (10th Dec) said it was awarded the contract from TU Darmstadt who will use the system in its Collinear Apparatus for Laser Spectroscopy and Applied Physics, large-scale research facility.
For the experiment, the EBIS-A type ion source used will generate electrically charged ions of light chemical elements which will be coupled into the beamline of the COALA apparatus. A clean ultra-high vacuum is essential to ensure the particles can move as freely as possible in the beamlines.
An extremely powerful and reliable vacuum generator is necessary to maintain such a low pressure. This is even more so in the case of the new ion source since the ions remain in this for a much longer time.
Prof. Dr. Wilfried Nörtershäuser, Head of the Working Group at the TU Darmstadt, explains the technical advantages of the COALA beamline, “Up to now, spectroscopic measurement of atomic radii has only been carried out on hydrogen-like systems with a single electron, since the theory is only sufficiently accurate for this.”
“Experimentally, however, these simple atomic systems have the disadvantage that the wavelengths to be used lie well into the ultraviolet range of the optical spectrum and are therefore difficult to access with today’s laser systems.”
“Currently, however, there are promising efforts to achieve the required accuracy even for more complex helium-like systems with two electrons. Their wavelengths are much more accessible for laser systems and in the future will allow the radii of atomic nuclei from helium to nitrogen to be determined much more precisely than is currently possible. The COALA apparatus will provide the ideal conditions for this once the DREEBIT ion beam facility with the EBIS-A ion source has been installed.”
Source: Pfeiffer Vacuum