Soham Chakraborty (York)

Active-target detectors play an important role in low energy nuclear physics. In such detectors, the gas target also acts as the detection gas, eliminating the physical separation between target and detection volumes. TACTIC, an active-target detector, is being jointly developed by University of York and TRIUMF. Our preliminary goal is to study alpha induced reactions at low centre of mass energies.

Currently we are modifying the existing prototype at University of York by using state of the art μ-RWELL GEM configuration. This gas amplification stage enables the detection of charged particles over a larger dynamic range. Moreover, the detector traps the ionization electrons generated by the unreacted beam inside the central cathode. In comparison to other Active-Target detectors, this structure enables it to accommodate high beam intensities without pile-up. The detector will be able to efficiently measure the energy loss of reactions products and reconstruct their tracks inside the detection volume to give a precise location of the reaction vertex. This enables the measurement of excitation function using a single beam energy.

I will present the underlying physics, detailed mechanism and the astrophysical motivation behind the development of the detector. Furthermore, the future goals and development prospects in light of the unique opportunities it can provide in the field of low energy nuclear physics.