Minutes from ISOLDE Physics Group meeting, 7th October 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 mostly caused by the sudden power cut.   

• ISOLDE:
  
  • The Computer for the Gamma detector of the tape station (Target group) in the control room is up running again.
  • The sudden power cut at 02:13 on Monday morning affected ISOLDE and the PS complex.
    • Caused by incompatible/old circuit breakers (bad timing) in the power grid. 
    • Before the power cut things were running smooth at ISOLDE. 
  • After the power cut:
    • Vacuum was restored well (but controller lost hardware threshold values).
    • REX: All the amplifiers tripped - One had to be replaced in the 7-gap.
    • HIE: The LHe-level dropped and minor heating of the cavities, but it is now ok. Takes 24h to recover.
    • HRS: The target died as it developed a leak (often the case for old, heavily irradiated targets and a sudden power drop). Replaced with target #543.
    • PLC software (controlling all electrostatic elements) was installed with a wrong/incompatible version for an unknown reason. Fixed with a version roll-back. To be investigated.
• GPS:
  
  • New UC-Ta target was installed smoothly
  • Faraday cage door did not close, has been fixed.
  • Faraday Cup FC558 had to be disconnected. Moving it and in/out caused tripping of the beamline elements, due to bad vacuum.
• HRS:
  
  • Dead target was changed with target #543 for Cd-run at IDS.
  • Target change was smooth.

• RILIS:
  
  • Reports no problems. In good shape and on Ca-beams.
    • Report on “cross-talk” between mass markers K and Ca. Has to be monitored and watched. Maybe due to a flooding of the ion source with K.

Physics:

• IDS: Used remaining shift from July (run with bad target).
  
  • Hunting for the single particle state of 52,53-K.
  • Reports of a good run, success and good yields.

• CRIS: Used for the first time a 3-step laser scheme.
  
  • Measuring hyperfine structures of 65,67,69,71,75,79,81,82-Ga.
  • Was running in bunching mode.

508:

• The Kitchen has been ordered (I will arrive most probably at the end of October).
• Asked to get a budget for installing A/C on the top floor.
• New vacuum cleaner for the labs – please keep it located at the workshop.
• Problems with the door handles. Incompatible crash bar and handle, now in the process to be fixed.

Safety:

275:De-contamination measurements have begun. Old SSP laboratory is declassified.

Visitors:

• Already this year ca. 650 persons have visited ISOLDE.
• Everyone and absolutely the members of the group paid by CERN should consider that they have to take part in helping with the ISOLDE visits – guided tour and talks.
  
  • For the tour the digital dosimeter is needed (found in Maria’s office).
  • A good idea to make new posters for the hall with good explaining pictures (“reduced” science text but a good outreach text for the public).
  • Label/mark your experimental setup/beam line to be better visible for the visitors (also from the visitor’s room in 508). Make a picture guide of the ISOLDE view from 508.

The next ISOLDE PG meeting has been announced, and will be next Wednesday 14^th October at 14:00. There will be a seminar from Juliana Schell, Vittorio Violante and Graham K. Hubler. The title is “The anomalous heat effect on D/H loaded Palladium: Exploration at an atomic level, preliminary perturbed angular correlations studies.

Minutes taken by ~TEM