Abstract
The helium beam source is a key component of the helium-3 spin-echo spectrometer and determines the energy resolution of the experiment. Here, a new high-intensity supersonic beam source is presented, consisting of a new nozzle assembly and a new skimmer mount. The new nozzle achieves beam energies as low as 2.5 meV, increasing the energy resolution of the experiment by a factor of 5.5 and extending the accessible timescales into the nanosecond range. Furthermore, an improved skimmer mount design increases the signal intensity by 20 %. After a brief introduction to supersonic beam sources, the design of the new source is described and experiments characterising its performance are discussed.
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Notes
- 1.
Note that the general design idea for the new source was formulated by A. P. Jardine.
- 2.
The system is unbaked, hence there is a residual water vapour pressure in the chamber.
- 3.
The upper limit is currently determined by the temperature rating of the silicon diode.
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Lechner, B.A.J. (2014). An Improved High Intensity Supersonic Helium Beam Source. In: Studying Complex Surface Dynamical Systems Using Helium-3 Spin-Echo Spectroscopy. Springer Theses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01180-6_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01180-6_4
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