The ion circus

he ability to prepare radioactive beams for experiments in nuclear structure has seen important developments in recent years. The use of ion traps and buffer-gas cooling now enables the accumulation and purification of even short-lived nuclides. This is a key point for future installations since higher intensity also brings increased isobaric contamination which can be disastrous for background. Until now, the development of beam cooler/bunchers has relied on linear (radiofrequency quadrupole) Paul traps. In this contribution we describe the progress in developing a novel circular Paul trap. The ion circus, so named for its ability to trap ions at different positions along the ring circumference and to eject them in either perpendicular or tangential direction, has also been designed to cool and mass separate the ions over a longer flight path. The resolving power is increased as the ions orbit in the ring and are cooled with buffer gas at a much lower pressure. The first prototype is now under test in Orsay. We report results of the first tests and the future program