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Abstract

The dominant fraction of elements heavier than iron was created in stellar nucleosynthesis by neutron-capture reactions. The isotopic compositions of these elements are the fingerprints of the involved processes, and a huge amount of experimental data on these isotopes is required to support corresponding astrophysical calculations and models. The TRIGA-SPEC experiment aims to contribute to these data by the measurement of ground-state properties of neutron-rich heavy nuclides. It consists of the Penning-trap mass spectrometer TRIGA-TRAP for the determination of masses, Q-values and binding energies, and the collinear laser spectroscopy setup TRIGALASER for the determination of charge radii, nuclear spins, and moments. The nuclides of interest are produced by neutron-induced fission of an actinide target inside the research reactor TRIGA Mainz and ionized in an online ion source. In the context of this thesis, the two experiments were coupled to the reactor, completing the ion beam preparation transfer line. This included the implementation and commissioning of a radio-frequency quadrupole for the emittance reduction and accumulation of the ions. The functionality of the ion beam preparation was verified by successful test measurements of stable nuclides produced in the online ion source.