ION STORAGE AT EV ENERGIES IN AN OCTOPOLE RING

To store ions for times up to several seconds with energies in the 10 eV/amu range a tabletop storage ring with a circumference of about 1 m will be constructed. The ions will be confined and guided by RF-multi poles. The first objective is the production of pure ground state beam s of (multiply charged) ions. This will allow for elucidating the unkn own rule of metastable ions in electron capture studies, which will be performed in a crossed beam experiment after extraction of the ion be am from the storage ring. In order to test the technique of ion storag e by means of RF-multipoles a linear RF-octopole beam guide has been c onstructed. First results of highly charged ion injection and subseque nt electron capture studies in the RF-octopole beam guide are presente d for C4+ ions.