Abstract
We report on the progress towards measuring the charge radius of 6 He and 8 He nuclei by performing laser spectroscopy on these helium atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). First tests to produce neutral 6 He atoms via the 12 C( 7 Li, 6 He) 13 N reaction at the ATLAS accelerator have been successfully conducted. The MOT apparatus including the laser system and the discharge source to populate the metastable level are currently being set up. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.