Characterization of the Beam Energy Spread at the REX/HIE-ISOLDE Linac

ISOLDE is an on-line radioactive isotope separator located at CERN that works by colliding protons accelerated in the PS Booster into a fixed target and by separating the resultant ionized isotopes using a magnetic separator. The completion of the HIE-ISOLDE superconducting linac allows the acceleration of these ions to energy levels that were not reachable before, opening the door to new experiments in different fields. These experiments often have special requirements in terms of beam intensity and purity, transverse emittance or energy spread. A possible way to reduce the energy spread of the beam delivered to the experimental stations is to use one or more of the superconducting cavities as bunchers. The main results of several tests conducted during the last beam commissioning campaign prove that this mode of operation is feasible and will be presented in this paper.