Laser developments and resonance ionization spectroscopy at IGISOL

We present an overview of recent laser ion source developments at the IGISOL facility, Jyväskylä. Technological advances in the lasers have led to a considerable increase in second-harmonic laser power with the use of intra-cavity second-harmonic generation, as well as to narrow linewidth capability by applying an injection-locking technique to a Ti:sapphire laser. The use of a diffraction grating for frequency selection in a new laser resonator has dramatically improved the wide-range tunability of the laser system, resulting in an ideal tool for the development of new ionization schemes. The role of different laser bandwidths, laser intensity and environmental broadening mechanisms on the experimental width of the measured spectral line have been studied using bismuth, silver and nickel, in the gas cell and expanding gas jet. Applications of novel ion guide nozzle design has led to remarkably collimated gas jets which overcome the current limitations in the gas cell-based laser ion source trap (LIST) method. Detailed planning is under way to optimize the new laser laboratory and laser transport path in order to fully exploit the unique opportunities afforded by the new IGISOL-4 facility.