Isotope separation with a drift tube

The present paper describes the resolution powers of the isotopic separation process based on ion drift velocities. The experimental study was made on Li-6 and Li-7 ions using a simple drift tube. The experimentally observed resolution powers under low electric field conditions for these isotopic ions have shown to be in good agreement with the calculated values obtained by using a theoretical equation derived in an earlier work. However experimental results observed under high electric field conditions, where the Einstein relation is no longer valid, have shown to significantly deviate from the theoretical values. (author)