Collinear laser spectroscopy (CLS) is commonly used for determination of the charge radii and electromagnetic moments of radioactive nuclei. These fundamental properties of the nucleus provide information about the evolution of the shape and structure across an isotopic chain. CLS has been applied across broad swaths of the chart of the nuclides. However, certain elements have proven difficult to study, including the first and second-row transition metals due to low production rates and inaccessible electronic transitions. To overcome this situation, an electronic population manipulation technique using optical pumping in an RFQ ion trap has been developed at the BEam COoling and LAser spectroscopy (BECOLA) facility at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), allowing for studies of most transition metal isotopes towards the nucleon driplines. The optical pumping technique was demonstrated using stable <sup>90</sup>Zr ions captured in an RFQ ion trap. Pulsed laser light irradiated the ions for population manipulation followed by laser-resonant fluorescence (CLS) measurements. Details of the technique, performance characteristics, and implications for future studies at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will be discussed.

Electronic population manipulation of transition metal ions in an RFQ ion trap

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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