ISOLTRAP experiment

The high-precision mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP experiment is a permanent experimental setup located at the ISOLDE facility at CERN.

The purpose of the experiment is to make precision mass measurements using the time-of-flight (ToF) detection technique.

[8] The MR-ToF mass spectrometer/separator injects and ejects ions, using a switched cavity, and reflects them between two electrostatic mirror sets to increase their flight path.

[14] Mass measurements are made by the precision Penning trap, which uses a radio frequency field to drive cyclotron motion of the ions.

Ions that were at resonance due to the radio frequency field reach the detector faster than the others and the ToF can be determined.

[16][17] Initially, the experimental setup consisted of just two Penning traps but since the MR-ToF was installed in 2011, the most exotic nuclides that can be detected are now measured at ISOLTRAP.