Minutes from the ISOLDE Physics Group Meeting August 14, 2014

No comments to the minutes from the ISOLDE Physics Group Meeting from January 13, 2014.

TECHNICAL NEWS:

GPS:
- ISOLTRAP took stable beam over the weekend.
- On Monday morning, August 18, several successful clamping tests were performed with target #507. In the afternoon the clamping test of the actual Pb target (already used in 2011 and 2012) was unsuccessful due to a vacuum leak. The target developed a vacuum leak and it had to be repaired. Finally, on Tuesday morning the target was successfully clamped to the front end.
- On Tuesday night the target heating dropped down due to the false readout of the target clamping system. The BE-OP and the target teams are following up on this.
- The Pb target should be operated in the STAGISO (i.e. 3-4 mini-pulses in one p pulse) mode with the intensity of 5-8Ÿ1012 protons.
- Stable beam will be delivered to GLM, LA1 and IDS. The first user will be then the Bratislava group at LA1, followed up by IDS and SSP collections.

HRS:
- Target change done on Thursday morning, August 14.
- ¹³³Cs stable beam was setup to CA0 was suddenly interrupted by loss of transmission through 60° magnet on Friday afternoon. Furthermore, failure of water counter for the outer target cooling cycle causing a significant water leak in the water station room interrupted further work on HRS.
- The machine was restarted on Saturday morning and the BE-OP team together with the target group kept on working on the stable beam tuning through the separator. The transmission through 60° magnet, however, could only be re-established on Monday morning when it was discovered that the user slits #670 were moved in (and showed wrong status) without any command from the ISOLDE operators.
- The magnet controls were reported to cause repeating problems when cycling both magnets. One tesla meter has been exchanged. Users were and are asked to keep an eye on the field read-outs on the HRS magnet applications and to compare it with the tesla meter displays next to the HRS separator.
- It has been observed that the beam transmission after the second magnet is presently around 50- 60%. To be followed up.
- The proton scan on the converter was performed on Tuesday and after that ISOLTRAP took the radioactive Cd beam to the setup.
- The next target change is scheduled only on September 8 giving the chance to investigate the software and hardware problems with the separator.

Report from the running experiments:
- ISOLTRAP: the team performed over 50% of the program in < 50% of the allocated beam time, in spite of the technical problems at ISOLDE. Mass measurements were done on 129Cd, 130Cd and 131Cd isotopes. The team reported observing a larger emittance on HRS in comparison to previous years and to GPS references from Ta target.
- GLM: ready for Hg collections for PAC experiments on novel materials and graphene samples. The measurements will be done in bld. 275 due to the lack of the off-line laboratory in bld. 508.

Safety:
- Users are asked to give back the personal dosimeters when leaving CERN due to limited number of all dosimeters available at CERN.
- People who have to move the equipment or LN2 dewers through the extension hall are asked to wear the safety shoes and helmets and preferably do it after working hours.
- The hand-foot monitor located in the hall will soon be moved to another position due to constant alarms triggered by the radioactive beams at ISOLDE.
- Magda reminded all fixed experiments at ISOLDE to perform the safety checks before running.
- Please remember that you should use the hand-foot monitor when you leave the hall.

ISOLDE General:
- ISOLDE was guaranteed 36% of all proton pulses during daytime and 42% at night (from 6pm to 8am).

AOB:
- ISOLDE has launched preparations for this year’s workshop and users meeting where 50-year anniversary of ISOLDE operation will be celebrated. Invitations have been sent around and special T-shirts have been prepared. The local group was encouraged to register for the workshop and to order ISOLDE workshop T-shirts.
- Susanne is still waiting for the posters of the fixed experiments at ISOLDE.
- CERN has opened a physicist position. The application deadline is September 15. People are encouraged to apply for it. http://jobs.web.cern.ch/job/11029
- The deadline for CERN fellow applications is on September 1 (http://jobs.web.cern.ch/job/11065), for associates (http://jobs.web.cern.ch/job/11068) and for corresponding fellows (http://jobs.web.cern.ch/job/11067) on September 13.
- A mechanical workshop open for all is located in the CERN-Prevessin site. For users interested in using it – please contact Magda.
- ISOLDE separator course will most likely be organized at the beginning of the next year. No course is foreseen for this year.
- Kara and Stephan took over from Jan Kurcewicz the organization of the visits at ISOLDE.
- The meeting was followed by four seminars of summer students.
- Next PG meeting will take place on Wednesday at 2pm and it will be followed by 2-3 seminars of summer students.

Minutes taken by MS