Minutes from ISOLDE Physics Group meeting, 9th September 2015.

There were no comments to the minutes from the previous PG meeting last week. 

Technical news:

All in all a good week at ISOLDE with only minor issues.

• ISOLDE:
  
  • The technical stop including software updated went well. Only the VISTAR showed strange behaviour (now fixed).
  • The balloons (ISOLDE vacuum recovery) soon need to be emptied.
  • The new UCx target for the Mn-run under production, may be 1 day delayed and should be ready Tuesday.
    • Two more UCx targets are under production.
• GPS:
  
  • IDS taking beam. Only had smaller issues not important for the run. Still very happy for the beam optimiser (auto tuner), very good transmission.
  • Broken scanner SC483 will be replaced/fixed end of September.
    • The spare scanner needs to be fixed first.
  • IDS had to manually open VAT valves for a short period. For unknown reasons the valves could not be opened by the software. Operator was called to witness the issue. 
• HRS:
  
  • ISOLTRAP taking beam.
  • There was a leak at the front end. It was from the target and has been replaced/fixed.
• HIE:
  
  • REX beam-line is working on commissioning the beam to HIE. The progress looks good.
  • RP monitors/alarms went off due to various tests. No concerns.
  • There could be RF-power issues (not enough power) due to the replacement amplifiers being used for the commissioning period.
• RILIS:
  
  • All was good, with many different schemes implemented over the week (Mg, Al, Ba)
  • The broken chiller was fixed.
  • A new Ba scheme was tested with good result.

Physics:

• IDS: Call it one of their best experiments. Saw what they needed to fulfil proposal on ³⁴Mg and ³⁴Al – Hunting for the +1 isomer of ³⁴Al.
  
  • Had good population with 1-10 c/s.
  • Managed also to measure neighbouring isotopes, ³⁵Mg and ³⁶Al.

• ISOLTRAP: Also reports of a good run. ³⁴Mg to ³⁴Al in-trap decay. Hunting for the +1 isomer of ³⁴Al.
  
  • Also measured on ³⁴Si.

• Emission-channelling: Had a short collection to test a new detector using Ø = 1 mm collimator. 20% transmission. Results are good.

Safety:

• 275:
  
  • There was a good/big clean-up of SSP rooms.            
    • Is now ready for RP to check for contamination, floors/walls.
  • Building will be ready for move-in around 1. October
  • RP want (ideally) to declassify the building as a radioactive area in the future.
    • It will be allowed to use RP sources.

AOB:

• New ISOLDE vacuum cleaner is located under the stairs.
  • Have been reported to work nicely and performing according to expectations

The next ISOLDE PG meeting has not been announced, and will likely be next Wednesday 9th Sep. at 14:00. There will be both a Summer Student talk and then a seminar from Annika Voss about Laser Spectroscopy - (a selection of) means, methods and measurements.

Minutes taken by ~TEM