The atomic mass provides a snapshot of the total interaction among every constituent particle. This manifestation of the nuclear force reveals the evolution of nuclear shells (analogous to electron shells) and exotic structures in radioactive nuclides. Moreover, mass dictates the pathways accessible in stellar burning, influencing how the elements were formed. The highest-precision mass measurements are critical inputs into rigorous tests of the Standard Model. This precision is achieved through ion-trapping techniques. Adapted from atomic physics, ion traps offer precision and versatility to achieve increasingly sophisticated manipulation and storage at accelerator-based facilities. TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN) combines five ion traps for a range of studies of radioactive ions, from precision mass spectrometry to studies of "spectator" electrons in fundamental decays. A selection of recent results will be presented.
Ania A. Kwiatkowski focuses on understanding the ground-state properties of radioactive ions using ion-trapping techniques. These properties are relevant to investigate nuclear structure, stellar evolution, and precision tests of the Standard Model. She develops novel techniques for improved beam preparation and novel detection schemes for increasingly exotic radioisotopes produced with decreasing cross-sections. Kwiatkowski leads the TRIUMF’s Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN) group, which performs precision mass spectrometry and in-trap decay spectroscopy. She received her B.A. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2005. She pursued her graduate studies at Michigan State University, receiving her PhD in 2011. After a postdoc at TRIUMF, she became faculty at Texas A&M University before returning to Canada as a research scientist at TRIUMF and adjunct professor at the University of Victoria in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.