Resonance ionization enables the production of isobarically pure ion beams through multi-step resonant laser excitation, exploiting the unique shell structure of the different elements. Due to the suppression of unwanted neighboring elements in the ionization process as well as the high efficiency, this type of ion source is preferably used for the ionization of short-lived radionuclides in on-line facilities such as ISOLDE/CERN.
The working group LARISSA is working on the development and optimization of laser ion sources in combination with high repetition solid state laser systems. The method has already been fully characterized for a variety of chemical elements and an efficient ionization could be demonstrated.
The goal of this work is the further optimization of the laser ion source with respect to the achievable ion current. Therefore the existing pulsed Ti:sapphire laser system will be operated with higher repetition rates. The work includes the characterization of the laser system and measurements of the efficiency of the laser ion source at different laser repetition rates and ion currents.
Partial aspects of this project can also be assigned as bachelor thesis.