A gas jet target for radioactive ion beam experiments

New radioactive ion beam (RIB) facilities, like FRIB in the US or FAIR in Europe, will push further away from stability and enable the next generation of nuclear physics experiments. Thus, the need for improved RIB targets is more crucial than ever: developments in exotic beams should coincide with developments in targets for use with those beams, in order for nuclear physics to remain on the cutting edge. Of great importance to the future of RIB physics are scattering, transfer and capture reaction measurements of rare, exotic, and unstable nuclei on light targets such as hydrogen and helium. These measurements require targets that are dense, highly localized, and pure, and conventional targets often suffer too many drawbacks to allow for such experimental designs. Targets must also accommodate the use of large area, highly-segmented silicon detector arrays, high-efficiency gamma arrays, and novel heavy ion detectors to efficiently measure the reaction products. To address this issue, the Jet Experiments in Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics (JENSA) Collaboration led by the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) is in the process of designing, building and testing a supersonic gas jet target for use at existing and future RIB facilities. The gas jet target provides a high density and high purity of target nuclei within a tightly confined region, without the use of windows or backing materials. The design also enables the use of multiple state-of-the-art detection systems.