An Argonne Laboratory physicist examines a gas catcher cell developed for the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator. The cell provides a new way to generate intense beams of short-lived, exotic nuclear isotopes for basic research in nuclear physics and other sciences. The device separates exotic ions that were produced in thin targets and brought to rest in a catcher cell filled with pressurized helium. This new technology will help give physicists high-quality exotic beams of any element in the periodic table. The Rare Isotope Accelerator is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's top-ranked projects necessary to keep the U.S. at the forefront of scientific research. Image taken in 2007,