Longitudinal emittance measurements at REX-ISOLDE

We report on measurements of the longitudinal emittance at the Radioactive ion beam EXperiment (REX) at ISOLDE, CERN. The rms longitudinal emittance was measured as 0.34 ± 0.08 π ns keV/u at the output of the RFQ and as 0.36 ± 0.04π ns keV/u in front of the third 7-gap split-ring resonator (7G3) using the three-gradient technique; systematic errors are not included but are estimated at approximately 10%. The 86% emittance was measured a factor of approximately 4.4 times larger than the rms emittance at 1.48 ± 0.2 and 1.55 ± 0.12π ns keV/u at the RFQ and 7G3, respectively. The REX switchyard magnet was used as a spectrometer to analyse the energy spread of the beam as it was manipulated by varying the voltage of the rebuncher (ReB) and 7G3 cavities operating at non-accelerating phases. The transfer matrix for a multi-gap bunching cavity is derived and suitably truncated to allow for the accurate reconstruction of the beam parameters from measurement. The technique for measuring the energy spread was rigorously simulated and validated. A silicon detector, in its development phase, was also exploited to measure the longitudinal beam properties. The measured longitudinal emittance is compatible with the acceptance of the HIE-ISOLDE superconducting linac upgrade.