Next-generation experiments with the Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC)

Abstract

The Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) project at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) is a novel Active Target designed to study nuclear reactions induced by low-intensity exotic beams. The AT-TPC acts as a tracking medium and target at the same time, providing excellent angular (1°) and energy resolution (3% FWHM) and high luminosity. The AT-TPC offers a broad range of applications within the low-energy nuclear physics domain. Resonant scattering and transfer reactions are typically performed with Active Targets using beams with energies spanning from 1 to 10AMeV and with intensities as low as 100 pps. The AT-TPC is also a promising tool for experiments where the observables of interest require higher beam energies (above 100AMeV). In particular, inelastic scattering reactions on light targets, where the recoil particle has a very low kinetic energy (less than 1 MeV), can be performed with such a device. In this work, we discuss aspects of the AT-TPC experimental program, focusing on experiments that leverage the outstanding capabilities this detector offers. In addition, we introduce a conceptual design for a new Time Projection Chamber detector for specific measurements of reactions using special gases as targets.