Measurement of the magnetic moment of 23Mg using the tilted foil polarization technique

We report here on the first measurement in an experimental program initiated at the ISOLDE facility at CERN for the measurement of magnetic moments of short-lived radionuclides. The nuclei are polarized by the tilted foil technique and the resulting 0 degrees-180 degrees beta asymmetry is monitored as a function of the frequency of the rf applied in an NMR setup. In order to achieve sufficiently high energy for transmission through the foils the experiment was mounted on a high voltage platform. In this experiment, earlier asymmetry measurements were confirmed and an NMR resonance was observed, corresponding to a preliminary value of the magnetic moment of -0.533(6) n.m., in agreement with a previous measurement. During the experiment, problems were encountered with the buildup of contamination on the stopper surface. Improvements to the experimental setup are presently being designed, aiming at improved vacuum and possibly lower temperature. This will help pave the way for measurements of magnetic moments of T = 3/2 nuclei in the s-d shell and T = 1/2 f-shell nuclei. The study of relaxation times and other solid-state phenomena in semi-conductors and other materials of interest using this technique is also contemplated.