Configuration of the SCRIT-based radioisotope-electron scattering system.
Ionized radioisotopes are injected, then an electric field is applied using the radioisotope target trap to force the ions to enter and accumulate in the electron beam orbit. Electrons scattered by collision with the radioisotope ions are measured using a drift chamber and calorimeter to determine the precise distribution of radioisotope protons.
Observing the structure of collapsing unstable atomic nuclei using electrons is an experimental goal that has not been achieved anywhere in the world. Masanori Wakasugi, director of the Instrumentation Development Group at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (RNC), is working on this challenging issue. The current theoretical model of the atomic nucleus has been constructed with major contributions from electron-scattering experiments, in which electrons are collided with stable atomic nuclei to visualize the nuclear structure. In recent years, however, a wide range of experiments on the properties of unstable atomic nuclei has revealed a number of phenomena that are inconsistent with the current model of the atomic nucleus. Radioisotope–electron scattering experiments in which electrons collide with unstable nuclei are indispensible in establishing the ultimate model of the atomic nucleus, which will yield a comprehensive understanding of both stable and unstable nuclei. Wakasugi and his colleagues are taking unique approaches to achieve this world-first experiment.
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