Schottky detection techniques for ultra-rare short-lived ions in heavy ion storage rings

Abstract

Non-destructive Schottky detectors are indispensable devices widely used in experiments at heavy-ion storage rings. In particular, they can be used to accurately determine the masses and lifetimes of short-lived exotic nuclear species. Single-ion sensitivity -- which enables highest sensitivity -- has been regularly achieved in the past utilizing resonant cavity detectors. Recent designs and analysis methods aim at pushing the limits of measurement accuracy by increasing the dimensionality of the acquired data, namely the position of the particle as well as the phase difference between several detectors. This work describes current methods and future perspectives of Schottky detection techniques focusing at their application for mass and lifetime measurements of the most rare and simultaneously short-lived radio nuclides.