Captured Fleeting Rare Atomic Nuclei... RAON Achieves Korea's First Laser Spectroscopy Success [Reading Science]

Establishing a Foundation for High-Precision Analysis of Short-Lived Rare Isotope Nuclear Structures

Korea’s First In-Beam Laser Spectroscopy Achieved

Paving the Way for Next-Generation Nuclear Physics Research

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility, RAON, has successfully conducted the nation’s first laser spectroscopy experiment to precisely analyze extremely short-lived rare isotopes in flight. This achievement establishes a foundation for high-precision investigations of rare atomic nuclei whose structures have been difficult to measure, signaling the beginning of full-fledged rare isotope research at RAON.

On June 30, the IBS Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility announced that a joint research team—comprising the Korea Air Force Academy, the IBS Rare Isotope Science Project, Korea University, Korea National University of Education, and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute—had succeeded in performing a laser spectroscopy experiment using a rare isotope beam for the first time in Korea. The research results have been published in the international journal, Journal of Instrumentation.

RAON's CLaSsy beamline and laser system. Courtesy of Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Heavy Ion Accelerator Research Facility

Analyzing Rare Isotopes Traveling at 400,000 Meters per Second

Rare isotopes often decay within an extremely short time after being produced, making it very challenging to analyze their nuclear structure. This is considered the most significant challenge in the field.

The research team succeeded in precisely matching a rare isotope beam, traveling at approximately 400,000 meters per second, with a laser using RAON’s collinear laser spectroscopy device, CLaSsy (Collinear Laser Spectroscopy). This demonstrated that it is possible to measure the energy levels and obtain nuclear structure information of rare isotopes before they decay.

In this experiment, the team validated the device’s performance using a sodium (Na) isotope beam produced by the online isotope separation (ISOL) method, confirming that the same precise measurement technique can be applied to various short-lived rare isotopes.

Full-Scale Rare Isotope Research at RAON

The research team explained that the significance of this achievement goes beyond verifying the device’s performance, as it provides a foundation for conducting full-scale laser-based rare isotope research at RAON.

RAON laser utilization devices (laser spectroscopic device CLaSsy and laser ion source RILIS). Provided by the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Center for Heavy Ion Accelerator Research

Sungjong Park, Research Fellow at the IBS Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility, said, “This achievement is not only a confirmation of CLaSsy’s capabilities but also a demonstration of the potential to utilize various laser technologies at the heavy ion accelerator. In the future, this will become the foundation for rare isotope research in conjunction with laser ion sources.”

Professor Hoon Yoo of the Korea Air Force Academy stated, “Once laser-based atomic physics technology is established, we will be able to further improve the measurement precision of rare isotopes. I expect that RAON will expand its applications beyond rare isotope research to fields such as new materials and radiation response studies.”

Kwon Myeon, Acting Director of the IBS Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility, said, “This achievement is the first case of applying laser technology to rare isotope research at a domestic heavy ion accelerator facility. It will serve as an important foundation for RAON to develop into a world-class accelerator research facility that incorporates advanced laser technologies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.