New stopping cell capabilities: RF carpet performance at high gas density and cryogenic operation

We have developed a stopping cell to be used at the FRS and Super-FRS (Superconducting FRagment Separator) at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy-Ion Research and the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), both in Darmstadt, Germany. The cell has a stopping volume with a length of 1m and a diameter of 25 cm. It is aimed at operation with high-density helium gas (up to 0.2mg/cm(3)). Ours is the first realisation of a stopping cell in which the required purity of the helium stopping gas is ensured by operation at cryogenic temperatures. On the exit side, the ions are guided to the exit hole by an RF carpet with 4 electrodes per mm, operating at a frequency of 5.8MHz. We present the first commissioning results of the cryogenic stopping cell. Using (219)Rn ions emitted as alpha-decay recoils from a (223)Ra source, a combined ion survival and extraction efficiency between 10 and 25% is measured for helium gas at a temperature of 85K and with a density up to 0.07 mg/cm(3) (equivalent to a pressure of 430mbar at room temperature). This density is almost two times higher than demonstrated up to now for RF ion repelling structures in helium gas. Given the operational and design parameters of the system, it is projected that this technology is useful up to a helium gas density of at least 0.2mg/cm(3). Copyright (C) EPLA, 2011