Beta-decay spectroscopy with laser-polarized nuclei

Exciting new opportunities for experiments with beta-decaying atomic nuclei have arisen recently at CERN ISOLDE with the new spectroscopy station called DeVITO [1]. The novelty of the setup stems from its integration with the laser-polarization beamline VITO [2] that induces spin orientation in radioactive ions or atoms. This unique combination enables spectroscopy measurements with spin-oriented nuclei that emit radiation anisotropically. The ability to exploit the directional distribution of radiation represents a significant advance over conventional beta-decay experiments [3,4]. This contribution presents the key features of the DeVITO and preliminary results from the commissioning experiment with neutron-rich potassium isotopes, including strong beta-delayed neutron emitters.

[1] M. Piersa-Siłkowska, M. Madurga, M. Kowalska, N. Azaryan et al., Tech. rep. CERN-INTC-2023-026, Geneva (2023).

[2] M. Kowalska et al., Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 44, 084005 (2017).

[3] H. Miyatake et al., Phys. Rev. C 67, 014306 (2003).

[4] Y. Hirayama et al., Physics Letters B 611, 239 (2005).