A field programmable gate array-based time-resolved scaler for collinear laser spectroscopy with bunched radioactive potassium beams

Abstract

A new data acquisition system including a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based time-resolved scaler was developed for laser-induced fluorescence and beam bunch coincidence measurements. The FPGA scaler was tested in a collinear laser-spectroscopy experiment on radioactive 37K at the BEam COoler and LAser spectroscopy (BECOLA) facility at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. A 1.29 μs bunch width from the buncher and a bunch repetition rate of 2.5 Hz led to a background suppression factor of 3.1 × 105in resonant photon detection measurements. The hyperfine structure of 37K and its isotope shift relative to the stable 39K were determined using 5 × 104s-137K ions injected into the BECOLA beam line. The obtained hyperfine coupling constants A(2S1/2) = 120.3(1.4) MHz, A(2P1/2) = 15.2(1.1) MHz, and A(2P3/2) = 1.4(8) MHz, and the isotope shift δν39, 37= -264(3) MHz are consistent with the previously determined values, where available.