Production and trapping of francium atoms

A new facility has been constructed at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratory (LNL) for the production of francium isotopes via a fusion-evaporation nuclear reaction and a laser laboratory has been set up for francium trapping. Francium is produced inside a gold target and after diffusion desorbs from its surface as an ion. A secondary beam line delivers the francium ions to the trapping cell where they are neutralized and trapped in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Details on the production, delivery and neutralization methods are presented. Preliminary results on trapped francium are also shown. Production rate of ≃ 106 ions/s and a trap population of about 100 atoms have been achieved. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.