  A new laser ion source configuration based on resonant photoionization in a
gas cell has been developed at RIBF RIKEN. This system is intended for the
future PArasitic RI-beam production by Laser Ion-Source (PALIS) project which
will be installed at RIKEN's fragment separator, BigRIPS. A novel
implementation of differential pumping, in combination with a sextupole ion
beam guide (SPIG), has been developed. A few small scroll pumps create a
pressure difference from 1000 hPa - 10^-3 Pa within a geometry drastically
miniaturized compared to conventional systems. This system can utilize a large
exit hole for fast evacuation times, minimizing the decay loss for short-lived
nuclei during extraction from a buffer gas cell, while sufficient gas cell
pressure is maintained for stopping high energy RI-beams. In spite of the
motion in a dense pressure gradient, the photo-ionized ions inside the gas cell
are ejected with an assisting force gas jet and successfully transported to a
high-vacuum region via SPIG followed by a quadrupole mass separator. Observed
behaviors agree with the results of gas flow and Monte Carlo simulations.
