1. Technical news:

· MINIBALL attempted Coulex on ³⁰Na, which is known to be a challenging beam. The yield turned out to be an order of magnitude lower than the expected 10⁴ ions/uC. The representative of the target group noted that in cases of very short half lives (t_1/2, ³⁰Na=48ms), comparable or shorter than the release time, the yield is determined by the release, which in turn is strongly dependent on the microstructure of any specific target and as such is difficult to predict. Therefore yield fluctuations up to factor 10 can be expected. The users point of view was also emphasized: users can request a number of shifts, which at best can only be as accurate as the adopted yield. In this respect it is relevant that since Feburary 2011 the INTC is supported by a Technical Advisory Committee, which is responsible for assessing the feasibility of the experiments.

· The MINIBALL run experienced some difficulties also due to technical problems at REX, related to the the IHS structure and the 9 gap amplifier (as mentioned in last minutes). In addition a turbo pump stopped for unknown reason in the HIS and vacuum had to be reestablished. Some issues with the REX servers also occurred. The control group is looking for a solution. Finally a PLC was responsible for a power cut to the target and line heating. The target survived and thanks to the engineers heating was restored in manual mode very quickly. For the upcoming experiment that PLC will remain bypassed .

· There was a problem with the HRS target change related to the target robot. Following the power cut one and a half weeks ago the GPS robot lost its program and the HRS one its calibration. The problem was solved on the next day.

· At REX ,a jitter of about 50ns was discovered on the RF excitations if provided with separate power supplies and using the new controls system. This is very disturbing for light beams and therefore for the moment the old configuration was restored based on splitting and inverting the signal from a single power supply.

· RILIS prepare for manganese. There are again problems with one of the pump lasers, which can deliver only 50% of the power. This should not compromise the manganese run and only disturbs the parallel running of dye and Ti:Sa lasers.

· The ISUSER Windows account will not have access to remote desktop connections due to security reasons.

2.Physics and Schedule

· Despite the problems MINIBALL collected useful data on ²⁶Na. On Monday, a very successful run took place on long-lived ²²⁰Ra. Next Monday they will start looking for Coulex of n-rich ⁹⁸Sr.

· ISOLDE undergoes final preparations for this-week’s physics. At HRS COLLAPS will push to measure ⁵¹K and in parallel on GPS (GLM/GHM) SSP on manganese will take place. In order to improve conditions for the experiments and RILIS (which is short of people this week) the manganese will only be available during daytime (8:00 to midnight). In addition the RP agreed to a total proton current of 2.5uA instead of 2uA when in proton-sharing mode.

3.A.O.B.

· CERN has decided to abandon the idea of a Rapid Cycling Cyclotron as an alternative to the PS Booster upgrade.

· This week’s Research Board approved ISOLDE request to start with radioactive beams already in March 2012 and possibly ending in November. This gives more time for physics next year. The draft injector schedule should be available soon. The possibility do perform offline physics in 2013 remains to be discussed.

· Tomorrow morning (Sep 1) there will be a general cleanup around ISOLDE and in particular building 507. Please, help.

· A feature article has been published in CERN Courier on the 30Mg (t,p) experiment with MINIBALL/T-REX.

· The INTC will accept proposals in Nov this year and February next year. However, it is relevant to submit only proposals that have a chance of running in 2012, in particular experiments needing extensive target development will not be considered. The deadline for the Nov meeting is Oct 6-th. The November call will be properly announced by email next week.

· A decision took place on distributing the additional ISOLDE funds, as presented in the table. All equipment must be delivered and paid before the end of the year. Orders should be placed using the account 31560.

4. Seminars:

· As announced last week, Piet Van Duppen (Inst. voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, KULeuven) wil give a series of lectures on “Shape coexistence in the lead region investigated using a multitude of experimental probes”. This will be happening in the period 19-21 September.

· Kaj Gustav Ragnar Jansson (Lunds Universitet, summer student of Karl) presented “Two level scheme solvers for nuclear spectroscopy”.

· For detailed information please visit the ISOLDE - seminars page.

Minutes by DTY