Atmospheric-pressure ion transfer in a gas flow device connected to the UniCell buffer gas cell for superheavy elements chemistry: simulation studies

Abstract Man-made superheavy elements (SHE) are produced as energetic recoils in complete-fusion reactions and need to be thermalized in a gas-filled chamber for chemical studies. The ever-shorter half-lives and decreasing production rates of the elements beyond Fl (atomic number Z = 114)-the heaviest element chemically studied today-require the development of novel techniques for quantitative thermalization and fast extraction efficiency. The Universal high-density gas stopping Cell (UniCell), currently under construction, was proposed to achieve this. Within this work, we propose an Ion Transfer by Gas Flow (ITGF) device, which serves as a UniCell ejector to interface with a gas chromatography detector array for chemical studies. Detailed parameter optimizations, using gas dynamics and Monte Carlo ion-trajectory simulations, promise fast (within a few ms) and highly efficient (up to 100%) ion extraction across a wide mass range. These ions can then be transmitted quantitatively through the ITGF into the high-pressure environment needed for further chemical studies.