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Abstract

Within this thesis, two main improvements to an existing reaction microscope setup with a magneto-optically trapped lithium target are presented. Firstly, a flexible electrostatic lensing system for spatial focusing in the ion spectrometer has been implemented and characterised, enabling future experiments with unfocused projectile beams. Secondly, a new coil design for the magneto-optical trap was realised and tested; it incorporates compensation coils and reduces both the switching time and the potentially disrupting magnetic field outside the MOT region. This improvement makes the coincident recording of ion and electron spectra possible, giving fully-differential cross sections and providing insight into the dynamics of electron correlation. Finally, measurements of multiphoton ionisation of lithium taken at the free electron laser in Hamburg at the end of 2010 will be presented.