Jason Huskey Rose Hills
Design of an Apparatus for the Formation of Superheavy Anions
The heaviest elements on the periodic table are unstable and extremely difficult to produce; it is therefore a great challenge to experimentally study their chemical and physical properties. One of particular interest is electron affinity, or the energy released by a neutral atom upon gaining an additional electron. This value has important consequences for nuclear medicine, chemical bonding, and fundamental superheavy element research.
Laser spectroscopy of negative ion (anion) beams allows for precise measurements of electron affinities. In progress at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s 88-Inch Cyclotron is an apparatus to efficiently convert positive ions into anions. Superheavy element samples produced at the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator enter metal vapor charge exchange cells and gain multiple electrons through collisions with the neutral vapor. The anions formed are then employed in experiments to measure electron affinities, allowing for the first such precision studies of heavy and superheavy elements.
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