ISOLDE 1985-1987: In the shadow of LEP construction

<!--HTML-->This report describes my time at CERN from 1985 to 1987. Only very briefly before, ISOLDE was recognized by the CERN Management as a CERN facility and not only as a collaboration performing experiments at the synchrocyclotron (SC). Due to LEP construction the human resources were extremely restricted and I acted in one person as ISOLDE Group Leader, as Coordinator of the Synchrocyclotron, and as person responsible for the ISOLDE Technical Group. In addition, I was responsible for the students of my research groups from Mainz University which were active in laser spectroscopy of neutron-deficient nuclides in the mercury region and in getting ISOLTRAP on the floor and into operation. Due to LEP construction also the financial resources were extremely limited and my requests to the EP Division Leader B. Hyams and to the Director General H. Schopper for financial support for installation of a laser ion source and ISOLTRAP were turned down. Still, I and my students had a lot of fun at ISOLDE and I am very happy that there are still some remains of my time at CERN: first of all ISOLTRAP, but also RILIS (which came into full swing only when ISOLDE was relocated at the PS Booster), or some traces back to the ISOLDE Users’ Guide of 1986, or the weekly meetings of the ISOLDE Technical Group.