Opportunistic mass measurements at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility

A technique for measuring mass differences has been developed at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) that requires no specialized equipment. Mass differences are measured as position differences between known and unknown-mass isobars, dispersed at the image of the energy-analyzing magnet following the 25 MV tandem post-accelerator, and identified by an energy-loss measurement. The technique has been demonstrated on neutron-rich ^77-79Cu and ^83-86Ge isotopes produced using the isotope separator online (ISOL) method with the ²³⁸U(p,fission) reaction, where a mass accuracy of 500 keV was achieved. These nuclides are well suited to the measurement technique, as they readily migrate out of the production target and to the ion source and comprise the most neutron-rich elements of the isobarically mixed beam. Because modest precision mass values can be obtained with only a few tens of counts of the nuclide of interest among orders of magnitude more of the isobaric neighbors closer to stability, the sensitivity of this technique makes it appropriate for initial mass measurements far from stability.