The technique of ion trapping is an answer to the Heisenberg principle stating that a precise energy
measurement requires a long observation time. Since the 60s, ion traps providing environments free of
uncontrolled events are under development in different research fields. Traps commonly utilized in low-
energy nuclear physics are the linear Paul trap, the Penning trap, and the recently developed MR-ToF MS.
They are used as mass separators or mass spectrometers to separate and/or measure atomic masses. A
mass spectrometer is usually constituted of several ion traps, each having its own purpose: from the beam
preparation (the linear Paul trap), to the beam purification and mass measurements via a MR-ToF MS or
a double Penning trap, depending on the experimental conditions.
After introducing the above-mentioned ion traps, I will highlight two different studies in which mass
measurements have played a key role. First of all, the study of nuclear deformation in the vicinity of A=100
neutron-rich nuclei (which are known for their sudden onset of deformation and have been under
investigation for many years). An overview of the mass spectrometry work in this region will be presented.
The second study is the search for low-energy Q-values measurements in the framework of the
determination of the neutrino mass. Recent results form a mass measurement campaign performed at
the IGISOL facility will be shown.
Finally, I will present the new S3-LEB setup dedicated to low-energy nuclear physics. S3-LEB is currently
being commissioned offline at LPC Caen, and it uses a combination of in-gas-jet laser ionization to
resonantly ionize the atoms (neutralized in the gas cell) with ion guides to send them to a MR-ToF MS or
to a decay spectroscopy station. Latest results will be presented.
