https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2002-00222-0
From direct to absolute mass measurements: A study of the accuracy of ISOLTRAP
1
CERN, Division EP, 1211 Genève 23, Switzerland
2
GSI,
Planckstr. 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
3
NSCL, Michigan State
University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
4
Inst. f. Physik, Technische
Universität München, 85748 Garching, Germany
5
Inst. f.
Physik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
Corresponding author: a a.kellerbauer@cern.ch
Received:
7
June
2002
Published online:
6
November
2002
For a detailed study of the accuracy of the Penning trap mass
spectrometer ISOLTRAP all expected sources of uncertainty were
investigated with respect to their contributions to the uncertainty of
the final result. In the course of these investigations, cross-reference
measurements with singly charged carbon clusters 12C
were
carried out. The carbon cluster ions were produced by use of
laser-induced desorption, fragmentation, and ionization of C60
fullerenes and injected into and stored in the Penning trap system. The
comparison of the cyclotron frequencies of different carbon clusters has
provided detailed insight into the residual systematic uncertainty of
ISOLTRAP and yielded a value of 
. This also
represents the current limit of mass accuracy of the apparatus. Since
the unified atomic mass unit is defined as 1/12 of the mass of the
12C atom, it will be possible to carry out absolute
mass measurements with ISOLTRAP in the future.
PACS: 07.75.+h – Mass spectrometers / 21.10.Dr – Binding energies and masses / 32.10.Bi – Atomic masses, mass spectra, abundances, and isotopes / 36.40.Wa – Charged clusters
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2003
