Production and Characterization of Barium and Radium-226 Targets via Molecular Plating for Muonic Atom Spectroscopy
Muonic atom spectroscopy requires thin, high-quality targets to enable precise measurements of nuclear charge radii. Molecular plating has emerged as a promising technique for preparing such targets, especially when dealing with scarce or radioactive isotopes. In this work, we focus on the productio...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
EDP Sciences
2025-01-01
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| Series: | EPJ Web of Conferences |
| Online Access: | https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/pdf/2025/12/epjconf_intds2025_01005.pdf |
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| Summary: | Muonic atom spectroscopy requires thin, high-quality targets to enable precise measurements of nuclear charge radii. Molecular plating has emerged as a promising technique for preparing such targets, especially when dealing with scarce or radioactive isotopes. In this work, we focus on the production and characterization of barium and Ra-226 targets prepared via molecular plating for use in muonic atom spectroscopy. Barium, being non-radioactive and chemically similar to radium, serves as a suitable surrogate for method development. We successfully prepared thin, uniform barium targets with deposition yields close to 100%, as confirmed by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry, autoradiography, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These targets met the stringent requirements for muonic atom experiments and were utilized in successful spectroscopy measurements. However, when applying the same molecular plating technique to Ra-226, we encountered significant challenges. The radium target exhibited a thick, non-uniform layer with poor adhesion, likely due to the co-deposition of unwanted materials induced by radiolysis of the organic solvent. These findings provide valuable insights for refining target preparation techniques in future experiments involving radioactive isotopes. |
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| ISSN: | 2100-014X |