Production of highly charged ions inside a cryogenic Penning trap by electron-impact ionisation

Abstract

We have built and operated a cryogenic Penning trap arrangement that allows for the efficient production, selection, and long-term storage of highly charged atomic ions. In close similarity to an electron-beam ion trap (EBIT) it works by electron-impact ionisation of atoms inside a dedicated confinement region. The electrons are produced by field emission at liquid-helium temperature and are subsequently accelerated to the keV energy range. The electron beam is reflected through the trap multiple times to increase the ionisation efficiency. We show a characterisation of the system and measurements with argon and tungsten ions up to Ar${}^{16+}$ and W${}^{27+}$, respectively.

arXiv comment10 pages, 12 figures, published in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

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