Offline source of metal ions produced by ultraviolet light emitting diodes

2022 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K03899
• Research Institution: High Energy Accelerator Research Organization
• Principal Investigator: SCHURY P.H 大学共同利用機関法人高エネルギー加速器研究機構, 素粒子原子核研究所, 研究機関講師 (30462724)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Ion source

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In order to make accurate and ultra-high precision mass measurements of radioactive nuclide ions, it is important to have a controllable source of isobaric or nearly-isobaric reference ions so as to mitigate mass-dependent error terms. We had hoped use filaments of platinum group metals, heat them, and irradiate them with UV LEDs to produce ions for injection in an MRTOF-MS.
We have been mostly unsuccessful in producing ions from UV irradiation by LEDs thus far. We may have seen an increase in the yield of Cs+ ions from a thermal ion source when irradiated, but even if it were a real effect it would be of limited value for our needs.
Near the end of the funding period, we have procured high-cooling aluminum substrate printed circuit boards and an assortment of the latest high-intensity UV LEDs available. We plan to continue the effort in the out years, however, as eventual success will be very important to ultra-high precision mass measurements by MRTOF-MS, wherein isobaric or near isobaric reference species are needed. Hopefully by using these higher intensity LEDs to their maximum performance by cooling with aluminum substrate printed circuit boards we will finally be able to produce the ions we desire and can use them for reference species in future online mass measurements to achieve accurate and high-precision mass measurements.