Mass measurements of stored exotic nuclei Original Research Article

The study of atomic masses of stable nuclei has lead to the understanding of basic properties of matter. Today the challenge is to measure the masses of exotic nuclei up to the limits of particle stability. Such nuclei are produced in an energy range from the Coulomb barrier to the relativistic regime via different nuclear reactions and are provided by ISOL and in-flight separation techniques. The highest accuracy in direct mass measurements of exotic nuclei can be achieved by determining the frequency of the ion motion in traps and storage rings. We present new experimental developments and recent results from such mass measurements and their contribution to basic nuclear structure physics.