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The high energy loss of heavy ions in matter as well as the small angular scattering makes heavy ion beams an excellent tool to produce almost cylindrical and homogeneously excited volumes in matter. This aspect can be used to pump short wavelength lasers. In an experiment performed at the GSI (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany) ion accelerator facility in December 2005 the well-known KrF* excimer laser was pumped with an intense high energy uranium beam. Pulses of an uranium beam with initial particle energy of 250 MeV per nucleon, provided by heavy-ion-synchrotron SIS-18, were delivered to the HHT-target station and then stopped inside a gas laser cell. The maximum beam intensity reached in the experiment was 2,5·109 particles per pulse, which resulted in 34 J/g specific energy deposited in the laser gas. By applying electron cooling and a bunch compression technique at SIS-18, the beam pulses were compressed down to 110 ns (FWHM). A mixture of an excimer laser premix gas (95,5% Kr + 0,5% F2) and a buffer gas (Ar 4.8) was used as the laser gas in proportions of 35/65 and 60/40, respectively. The gas pressure inside the laser cell was varied in the range of 1,2÷2 bar in continues flow mode. The experimental setup consisted of a 1 m long stainless steel tube with a number of diagnostic viewports and two mirror adjustment units. The optical cavity was formed by a flat, Alcoated mirror at the beam entrance and a second dielectrically coated, highly reflective mirror with 3 m radius of curvature at a distance of 1,3 m. A beam of heavy ions has been used to pump a short wavelength gas laser for the first time. Laser effect on the KrF* laser transition (λ = 248 nm) has been successfully demonstrated. Laser threshold for this specific setup was reached with a beam intensity of 1,2·109 particles per pulse. Laser action has been clearly proofed by the following methods: appearance of the laser line, spectral narrowing of the laser line, temporal narrowing of the laser signal, non-linear response of the laser output intensity on the pumping power, and cavity disalignment effect. An energy of the laser pulse of about 2 mJ was measured for an ion beam intensity of 2·109 particles per pulse. The time delay of the onset of the laser emission with respect to the pumping pulse was measured as a function of ion beam intensity. The dependence of spontaneous emission spectra on the gas pressure in a range of 1,3÷2 bar was observed and the optimal gas pressure for laser experiments in the sense of laser efficiency was concluded. As a next step in studying short wavelength lasers pumped with heavy ion beams it is planned to reduce the laser wavelength down to the VUV region of the spectrum, and to proceed to the excimer lasers of the pure rare gases: Xe2 * (λ = 172 nm), Kr2 * (λ = 146 nm), Ar2 * (λ = 126 nm), Ne2 * (λ = 83 nm) and He2 * (λ = 80 nm). We believe that the use of heavy ion beams as a pumping source may lead to new pumping schemes on the higher lying level transitions and considerably shorter wavelengths (XUV and X-ray spectral region), which rely on the high cross sections for multiple ionization of the target species.
Challenges of FAIR phase 0
(2018)
After two-year's shutdown, the GSI accelerators plus the latest addition of storage ring CRYRING, will be back into operation in 2018 as the FAIR phase 0 with the goal to fulfill the needs of scientific community and the FAIR accelerators and detector development. Even though GSI has been well known for its operation of a variety of ion beams ranging from proton up to uranium for multi research areas such as nuclear physics, astrophysics, biophysics, material science, the upcoming beam time faces a number of challenges in re-commissioning its existing circular accelerators with brand new control system and upgrade of beam instrumentations, as well as in rising failures of dated components and systems. The cycling synchrotron SIS18 has been undergoing a set of upgrade measures for fulfilling future FAIR operation, among which many measures will also be commissioned during the upcoming beam time. This paper presents the highlights of the challenges such as re-establishing the high intensity heavy ion operation as well as parallel operation mode for serving multi users. The status of preparation including commissioning results will also be reported.