A RFQ Cooler Development

The cooling of beams of exotic nuclei (both in energy spread and in transverse oscillations) is critical to downstream mass spectrometry devices and can be provided by collisions with light gases as in the Radio Frequency Quadrupole Cooler (RFQC). As in other traps, several electromagnetic systems can be used for beam deceleration confinement and deceleration, as a radiofrequency (rf) quadrupole, a magnetic solenoid and electrostatic acceleration. Since rf contributes both to beam cooling and heating, operational parameters should be carefully optimized. The LNL RFQC prototype is going to be placed inside the existing Eltrap solenoid, capable of providing a magnetic flux density component Bz up to 0.2 T, where z is the solenoid axis. Setup progress and related rf component development are reported; in particular simple matching boxes are discussed; the differential gas pumping system is also described.