THE CANADIAN PENNING TRAP MASS-SPECTROMETER

A Penning trap mass spectrometer is currently being commissioned at th e TASCC facility in Chalk River. This versatile on-line apparatus uses a new helium-jet-coupled laser ion source to load ions into a system composed of a Paul trap and a precision Penning trap. This system is i ntended for high-precision mass measurements on stable and unstable is otopes, but will also offer many new possibilities for precise measure ment of the properties of unstable isotopes.