https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-024-01099-1
Review
Progress of isotope separators and KISS facility for the study of exotic nuclei
1
Wako Nuclear Science Center (WNSC), Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), 2-1 Hirosawa, 351-0198, Wako, Saitama, Japan
Received:
21
November
2023
Accepted:
11
January
2024
Published online:
16
February
2024
Facilities equipped with two major types of isotope separators—Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) and in-flight separators—have produced many types of unstable nuclei and have provided opportunities to study their exotic properties successfully. Gas-cell systems have been developed for both types of radioactive-ion (RI) facilities, enabling the performance of a great variety of nuclear-spectroscopic measurements by compensating for their respective disadvantages in the production and purification of the RI beams. Although many nuclear-spectroscopic studies have been performed in both types of RI facilities by applying 
U target (ISOL) or U beam (in-flight), two major unexplored regions remain on the nuclear chart located in the regions of the refractory elements in the vicinity of 
73–78 and 
126 and in the actinide elements. Because it is hard or almost impossible to produce the neutron-rich nuclei, which require specific nuclear reactions for the productions, in these unexplored regions. To access these regions and perform nuclear spectroscopy there, the KEK Isotope Separation System (KISS)—an argon-gas-cell-based laser ion source—has been developed and operated. The gas-cell system at the KISS facility is dedicated to multinucleon transfer (MNT) reactions for producing heavy, neutron-rich nuclei in the unexplored regions. Here, we introduce some of the experimental results and discuss a plan to upgrade the facility to promote further nuclear spectroscopy of the nuclei in the unexplored regions.
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