The first larger experimental installation within the LEBIT project will be a Penning trap system for mass measurements on exotic nuclei. The basic principle used is the determination of the cyclotron frequency of ions stored in a magnetic field. In order to achieve a high cyclotron frequency a high magnetic field is required. For LEBIT a 9.4 Tesla superconducting solenoid system has been chosen, which a high field homogeneity and stability. Minimizing magnetic and electric field imperfections is important for reducing systematic errors in the mass determination.
For the mass determination
ion pulses from the LEBIT accumulator and buncher
are captured in flight. The ion motion is then driven
with an appropriate radiofrequency field. If the frequency of the fields equals
the cyclotron frequency of an ion, its kinetic energy increases. This increase
in energy is then detected by a time-of-flight
resonance detection technique.