Minutes from ISOLDE Physics Group meeting, 30th 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.   

• GPS:
  
  • Target heating up.
  • An attempt to replace scanner SC483 will be tried on Monday the 5^th of October?.  
• HRS:
  
  • Users run a bit longer.
  • Old target installed
  • CRIS takes beam – protons on converter.
  • ISCOOL was used by experiments in Bunching mode.
    • 50-60% transmission with Ga, Mn, and Cu. Less transmission with Fr.
    • Bunching mode will likely not be used anymore this year.
  • Only observed once: trip of the separator magnet power supply.
  • IDS will further have to investigate the possible misalignment of FC, to start a possible BE-team action. IDS already have some observations on the issue in the e-log.

• HIE/REX:
  
  • REX in good shape, making various tests with stable beams.  
  • They were busy hunting low frequency oscillations in the Cryo-module. It was a control system problem, has been fixed.
  • Hope to be ready for physics 19^th October.
• RILIS:
  
  • Reports no problems. In good shape.
  • Report again (on Ga, 3^rd element in a row) about unusual surface/laser ionisation ratio. Much higher than usual.
    • Increased proton intensity/pulses does not correspond to a linear yield increase.
    • Suspect a colder line (possibly a too high/wrong temperature readout: calibration?).
    • Suspect outgassing of target.
    • The strange behaviour can often not be reproduced.

• ISOLDE:
  
  • INCA software restart Wednesday, only affected few systems.
    • The tape station application is not working, which affects the Target Team since they cannot do gamma measurement for the yields.
  • Target and/or line heating still suddenly drops and ramp up – unknown reason. The ramping cards will (probably) be replaced at the ISOLDE shut-down.
  • Proton beam deflector on the BTY line for hitting the target converter (below the target). “Crossed cable issue” (origin is not clear from 2012).
    • HRS, Steering is still inverted up and down.
    • GPS, Steering is normal.
  • The ISOLDE leak-detector is broken again (same error as last time). Will be sent back to same repair shop.
    • The presently borrowed Leak-detector does not calibrate.

Physics:

• IDS: Done. Saw the wanted Mn.
  
  • Now ready for K-run. Hunting for the single particle state in 51K and 53K.
• CRIS: Had an ok run. Happy with yields. Saw Rb contamination, possibly from converter – but faded away during the run.
  
  • They had low beam efficiency.
• Mossbauer: Had a short run with 57Mn. Started good but in the last hours the count rate dropped rapidly. Could not run at 50 keV (unstable target and line) only at 40 keV.

508:

• The Kitchen has been ordered (arrive end of October).
• Still problems with bad door handles – ticket has been opened. Crash bar and handle incompatible.  
• SSP labs: A step will be made for the exit doors.
• Laser-labs (and detector lab): Air condition problems with dripping water. Solving the problem is going around in a loop…
• The CERN card reader at the ISOLDE door will be moved to 508 ground floor door.

Safety:

• Please help to keep the two zones of the ISOLDE hall. The two zones make it a lot easier (less ISOLDE training) for workers to access to HIE installation.
  
  • Close the fence! Limit movement in the Work area.
• 275:
  
  • De-contamination by RP will start next week.

AOB:

• ISOLDE Workshop: Abstract submission is open. Deadline 11^th October.
• The lost Trigger Module card has still not been found. Users will be mailed (with picture) in the search.

The next ISOLDE PG meeting has been announced, and will be next Wednesday 7^th October at 14:00. There will be a seminar from Magdalena Kowalska on Beta-NMR: From nuclear physics to biology.

Minutes taken by ~TEM