Versatile production method of thin targets supported by PVA

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Vol. 522; no. 3; pp. 205 - 211
• Main Authors: Shimbara, Y, Fujita, Y, Hamaguchi, M, Mochizuki, E, Adachi, T, Berg, G.P.A, Fujimura, H, Fujita, H, Fujita, K, Hara, K, Hatanaka, K, Kamiya, J, Kawase, K, Kawabata, T, Kitamura, Y, Nakanishi, K, Sakamoto, N, Sakemi, Y, Shimizu, Y, Tameshige, Y, Uchida, M, Wakasa, T, Yamasaki, K, Yoshifuku, M, Yosoi, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 21.04.2004
• Subjects: Alkaline metal target; Charge-exchange reaction; Halogen target; Reaction Q value; 27.30.+t; Charge-exchange reaction; Halogen target; 27.40.+z; Reaction Q value; 29.25.−t; Alkaline metal target; 25.55.Kr
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2003.12.002

Thin self-supporting targets are indispensable in high energy-resolution studies using a magnetic spectrometer. However, nuclear targets of alkaline and alkaline-earth metal or halogen isotopes are not easily available. In order to produce thin target foils of these elements for the use in charge-exchange reactions, we take advantage of the fact that the stable isotopes of these elements have relatively small negative Q values, while 12 C and 16 O have large negative Q values. Therefore, even if organic compounds containing carbon and oxygen are used as supporting material, clean spectra on alkaline and alkaline-earth metal or halogen targets can be obtained up to the excitation energies of Q-value differences. A technique to produce thin foils of the chemical compounds Na 2 CO 3, K 2 CO 3, CaCO 3 and CaCl 2 was developed using polyvinylalcohol as supporting material. Foils with a total thickness of 1– 2 mg/ cm 2 were produced and used as targets in a ( 3 He,t) reaction study at an incident energy of 420 MeV . Owing to the small contributions of energy-loss differences of beam and reaction products in such thin targets, a very good resolution of Δ E/ E=7×10 −5 was achieved in combination with a high-resolution magnetic spectrometer.