Advanced GAmma Tracking Array Research Articles

The AGATA Spectrometer

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) is a European project to develop and operate a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer. AGATA is based on the technique of gamma-ray energy tracking in electrically segmented high-purity germanium crystals. The tracking technique requires the accurate determination of the energy, time and position of every interaction as a gamma ray deposits its energy within the detector volume. AGATA can measure gamma rays from 10’s of keV to 10 MeV with excellent efficiency and position resolution and has a very high count rate capability. The realisation of AGATA and gamma-ray tracking is a result of many technical advances. AGATA has operated in a series of successful scientific campaigns at Legnaro National Laboratory in Italy, GSI in Germany and GANIL in France. AGATA is now in its next phase of development as it evolves to the full 4π instrument. It is presently starting its next campaign at Legnaro.

Agata detector technology: recent progress and future developments

gamma -ray tracking is based on a new generation of position sensitive high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. A novel type of cluster detector was successfully developed and assembled for the high-resolution gamma -ray spectrometer Advanced Gamma Tracking Array AGATA. The core part of the detector consists of three encapsulated, 36-fold segmented HPGe detectors which are operated in a common cryostat. The Ge crystal is hermetically sealed inside an aluminium can. All energy channels provide best energy resolution of core and segment signals for an extended energy range well above 50 MeV. A low cross-talk level was determined for the HPGe detectors and its preamplifier circuitry. Related cross-talk corrections are essential for highest energy resolution and improved position dependent pulse shape information. Recently a new encapsulation technology was put into operation which is based on a renewable metal elastic seal. HPGe detector developments are concerned with technologies for the production of p+ and n+ contacts, the segmentation and passivation of encapsulated HPGe crystals. Semiconductor processing research specifically aimed to develop a stable, thin and easy to segment n+ contact. A novel process, based on pulsed laser melting PLM, was successfully employed to produce very thin n+ and p+ contacts preserving the Ge purity. The contacts were segmented using a photolithographic process and then the intrinsic surface between contacts was passivated to assure the electrical insulation between them. A small detector prototype with three segments was made using these new techniques and then successfully tested.

Nuclear structure advancements with multi-nucleon transfer reactions

Multi-Nucleon Transfer (MNT) reactions have been used for decades as a reaction mechanism, in order to populate excited states in nuclei far from stability and to perform nuclear structure studies. Nevertheless, the development of set-ups involving high acceptance tracking magnetic spectrometers (mainly existing in Europe), coupled with the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) opens new possibilities, especially if they are used in conjunction with high-intensity stable beams or ISOL RIBs. In this article, we will discuss the capabilities of such set-ups aiming at different goals, including complete information in high-resolution spectroscopy as well as lifetime measurements.

Conceptual design of the AGATA 2[formula omitted] array at LNL

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) has been installed at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (LNL), Italy. In this installation, AGATA will consist, at the beginning, of 13 AGATA triple clusters (ATCs) with an angular coverage of 1π, and progressively the number of ATCs will increase up to a 2π angular coverage. This setup will exploit both stable and radioactive ion beams delivered by the Tandem–PIAVE-ALPI accelerator complex and the SPES facility. The new implementation of AGATA at LNL will be used in two different configurations, firstly one coupled to the PRISMA large-acceptance magnetic spectrometer and lately a second one at Zero Degrees, along the beam line. These two configurations will allow us to cover a broad physics program, using different reaction mechanisms, such as Coulomb excitation, fusion-evaporation, transfer and fission at energies close to the Coulomb barrier. These setups have been designed to be coupled with a large variety of complementary detectors such as charged particle detectors, neutron detectors, heavy-ion detectors, high-energy γ-ray arrays, cryogenic and gasjet targets and the plunger device for lifetime measurements. We present in this paper the conceptual design, characteristics and performance figures of this implementation of AGATA at LNL.

Complete set of bound negative-parity states in the neutron-rich nucleus N18

High-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy of 18N is performed with the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array AGATA, following deep-inelastic processes induced by an 18O beam on a 181Ta target. Six states are newly identified, which together with the three known excitations exhaust all negative-parity excited states expected in 18N below the neutron threshold. Spin and parities are proposed for all located states on the basis of decay branchings and comparison with large-scale shell-model calculations performed in the p-sd space, with the YSOX interaction. Of particular interest is the location of the 0^-_1 and 1^-_2 excitations, which provide strong constrains for cross-shell p-sd matrix elements based on realistic interactions, and help to simultaneously reproduce the ground and first-excited states in 16N and 18N, for the first time. Understanding the 18N structure may also have significant impact on neutron-capture cross-section calculations in r-process modeling including light neutron-rich nuclei.

A Development of a 40-Gb/s Readout Interface STARE for the AGATA Project

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) multidetector spectrometer will provide precise information for the study of the properties of the exotic nuclear matter (very unbalanced proton (Z) and neutron (N) numbers) along proton- and neutron-drip lines and of super-heavy nuclei. This is done using the latest technology of particle accelerators. The AGATA spectrometer consists of 180 high-purity germanium detectors. Each detector is segmented into 38 segments. The very harsh project requirements are to measure gamma-ray energies with very high resolution ( <; 1×10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-3</sup> ) at a high detector counting rate (50 K events/s/crystal). This results in a very high data transfer rate per crystal (5-8 Gb/s). The 38 segments are sampled at 100 MHz with 14 bits of resolution. The samples are continuously transferred to the control and processing (CAP) module, which reduces the data rate from 64 to 5 Gb/s. The CAP module also adds continuous monitoring data, which results in total outgoing data rate of 10 Gb/s. The serial transfer acquisition and readout over Ethernet (STARE) module is designed to fit between the CAP module and the computer farm. It will package the data from the CAP module and transmit it to the server farm using a 10-Gb/s user datagram protocol (UDP) connection with a delivery insurance mechanism implemented to ensure that all data are transferred.

Lifetime measurements of excited states in neutron-rich Ti53 : Benchmarking effective shell-model interactions

Level lifetimes of the yrast (5/2(-)) to 13/2(-) states in the neutron-rich nucleus Ti-53, produced in a multinucleon-transfer reaction, have been measured for the first time. The recoil distance Doppler-shift method was employed and lifetimes of the excited states were extracted by a lineshape analysis aided by GEANT4-based Monte-Carlo simulations. The experiment was performed at the Grand Accelerateur National d'Ions Lourds facility in Caen, France, by using the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array for the gamma-ray detection coupled to the large-acceptance variable mode spectrometer for an event-by-event particle identification and the Cologne plunger for deep-inelastic reactions. Reduced transition probabilities, deduced from the lifetimes, give new information on the nuclear structure of Ti-53, and are used to benchmark different shell-model calculations using established interactions in the f p shell.

Isospin Properties of Nuclear Pair Correlations from the Level Structure of the Self-Conjugate Nucleus Ru88

The low-lying energy spectrum of the extremely neutron-deficient self-conjugate (N=Z) nuclide _{44}^{88}Ru_{44} has been measured using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) spectrometer, the NEDA and Neutron Wall neutron detector arrays, and the DIAMANT charged particle detector array. Excited states in ^{88}Ru were populated via the ^{54}Fe(^{36}Ar,2nγ)^{88}Ru^{*} fusion-evaporation reaction at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) accelerator complex. The observed γ-ray cascade is assigned to ^{88}Ru using clean prompt γ-γ-2-neutron coincidences in anticoincidence with the detection of charged particles, confirming and extending the previously assigned sequence of low-lying excited states. It is consistent with a moderately deformed rotating system exhibiting a band crossing at a rotational frequency that is significantly higher than standard theoretical predictions with isovector pairing, as well as observations in neighboring N>Z nuclides. The direct observation of such a "delayed" rotational alignment in a deformed N=Z nucleus is in agreement with theoretical predictions related to the presence of strong isoscalar neutron-proton pair correlations.

Approach to a self-calibrating experimental [formula omitted]-ray tracking algorithm

A first approach to a novel, self-calibrating γ-ray tracking algorithm based on experimental data and non-Gaussian behavior of geometrical scattering angles for the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) is presented. A brief performance test using a 137Cs source run measured with AGATA at the Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds (GANIL), France is performed. The achievable tracking performance of the novel method is compared to the Orsay Forward Tracking algorithm.

Performance of the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array at GANIL

The performance of the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) at GANIL is discussed, on the basis of the analysis of source and in-beam data taken with up to 30 segmented crystals. Data processing is described in detail. The performance of individual detectors are shown. The efficiency of the individual detectors as well as the efficiency after γ-ray tracking are discussed. Recent developments of γ-ray tracking are also presented. The experimentally achieved peak-to-total is compared with simulations showing the impact of back-scattered γ rays on the peak-to-total in a γ-ray tracking array. An estimate of the achieved position resolution using the Doppler broadening of in-beam data is also given.Angular correlations from source measurements are shown together with different methods to take into account the effects of γ-ray tracking on the normalization of the angular correlations.

Isomer spectroscopy in Ba133 and high-spin structure of Ba134

The transitional nuclei $^{134}$Ba and $^{133}$Ba are investigated after multinucleon transfer employing the high-resolution Advanced GAmma Tracking Array coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy, and after fusion-evaporation reaction at the FN tandem accelerator of the University of Cologne, Germany. The Jπ=19/2+ state at 1942 keV in $^{133}$Ba is identified as an isomer with a half-life of 66.6(20)ns corresponding to a B(E1) value of 7.7(4)×10−6e2fm2 for the Jπ=19/2+ to Jπ=19/2− transition. The level scheme of $^{134}$Ba above the Jπ=10+ isomer is extended to approximately 6 MeV. A pronounced backbending is observed at ℏω=0.38 MeV along the positive-parity yrast band. The results are compared to the high-spin systematics of the Z=56 isotopes. Large-scale shell-model calculations employing the GCN50:82, SN100PN, SNV, PQM130, Realistic SM, and EPQQM interactions reproduce the experimental findings and elucidate the structure of the high-spin states. The shell-model calculations employing the GCN50:82 and PQM130 interactions reproduce alignment properties and provide detailed insight into the microscopic origin of this phenomenon in transitional $^{134}$Ba.

Excitations of the magic N=50 neutron-core revealed in Ga81

The high-spin states of the neutron-rich Ga81, with three valence protons outside a Ni78 core, were measured. The measurement involved prompt γ-ray spectroscopy of fission fragments isotopically identified using the combination of the variable mode spectrometer (VAMOS++) and the advanced gamma tracking array (AGATA). The new γ-ray transitions, observed in coincidence with Ga81 ions, and the corresponding level scheme do not confirm the high-spin levels reported earlier. The newly observed high-spin states in Ga81 are interpreted using the results of state-of-the-art large-scale shell model (LSSM) calculations. The lower excitation energy levels are understood as resulting from the recoupling of three valence protons to the closed doubly magic core, while the highest excitation energy levels correspond to excitations of the magic N=50 neutron core. These results support the doubly magic character of Ni78 and the persistence of the N=50 shell closure but also highlight the presence of strong proton-neutron correlations associated with the promotion of neutrons across the magic N=50 shell gap, only few nucleons away from Ni78.Received 11 January 2019Revised 30 April 2019DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.011301©2019 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasEnergy levels & level densitiesNuclear structure & decaysRare & new isotopesProperties59 ≤ A ≤ 89TechniquesGamma ray spectroscopyShell modelSpectrometers & spectroscopic techniquesNuclear Physics

Formula omitted]-ray tracking with AGATA: A new perspective for spectroscopy at radioactive ion beam facilities

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) is a next generation high-resolution γ-ray spectrometer for nuclear structure studies based on the principle of γ-ray tracking. It is built from high-fold segmented germanium detectors which will operate in position-sensitive mode by employing digital electronics and pulse-shape decomposition algorithms. The unique combination of highest detection efficiency and position sensitivity allows spectroscopic studies with instable ion beams of lowest intensity. The first implementation of the array consisted of five AGATA modules; it was operated at INFN Legnaro. A larger array of AGATA modules was used at GSI for experiments with unstable ion beams at relativistic energies. At the moment the spectrometer is hosted by GANIL. In the near future AGATA will be employed at the leading infrastructures for nuclear structure studies in Europe. The presentation will illustrate the potential of the novel gamma-ray tracking method by physics cases from the different exploitation sites. Perspectives and opportunities for γ-ray spectroscopy at future radioactive ion beam facilities are presented and discussed.

Identification of high-spin proton configurations in Ba136 and Ba137

The high-spin structures of 136Ba and 137Ba are investigated after multinucleon-transfer (MNT) and fusion-evaporation reactions. 136Ba is populated in a 136Xe+238U MNT reaction employing the high-resolution Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy, and in two 9Be + 130Te fusion-evaporation reactions using the High-efficiency Observatory for -Ray Unique Spectroscopy (HORUS) at the FN tandem accelerator of the University of Cologne, Germany. Furthermore, both isotopes are populated in an elusive reaction channel in the 11B+130Te fusion-evaporation reaction utilizing the HORUS -ray array. The level scheme above the J� = 10+ isomer in 136Ba is revised and extended up to an excitation energy of approx. 5.5 MeV. From the results of angular-correlation measurements, the Ex = 3707- and Ex = 4920-keV states are identified as the bandheads of positive- and negative-parity cascades. While the high-spin regimes of both 132Te and 134Xe are characterized by high-energy 12+ ! 10+ transitions, the 136Ba E2 ground-state band is interrupted by negativeparity states only a few hundred keV above the J� = 10+ isomer. Furthermore, spins are established for several hitherto unassigned high-spin states in 137Ba. The new results close a gap along the highspin structure of N < 82 Ba isotopes. Experimental results are compared to large-scale shell-model calculations employing the GCN50:82, Realistic SM, PQM130 and SN100PN interactions. The calculations suggest that the bandheads of the positive-parity bands in both isotopes are predominantly of proton character.

Preliminary results of lifetime measurements in neutron-rich 53Ti

To study the nuclear structure of neutron-rich titanium isotopes, a lifetime measurement was performed at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) facility in Caen, France. The nucleiwere produced in a multinucleon-transfer reaction by using a 6.76 MeV/u 238U beam. The Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) was employed for the γ-ray detection and target-like recoils were identified event-by-event by the large-acceptance variable mode spectrometer (VAMOS++). Preliminary level lifetimes of the (5/2−) to 13/2− states of the yrast band in the neutron-rich nucleus 53Ti were measured for the first time employing the recoil distance Doppler-shift (RDDS) method and the compact plunger for deep inelastic reactions. The differential decay curve method (DDCM) was used to obtain the lifetimes from the RDDS data.

Millisecond 23/2+ isomers in the N=79 isotones Xe133 and Ba135

Detailed information on isomeric states in A ≈ 135 nuclei is exploited to benchmark shell-model calculations in the region northwest of doubly-magic nucleus 132Sn. The N = 79 isotones 133Xe and 135Ba are studied after multinucleon transfer (MNT) in the 136Xe + 208Pb reaction employing the high-resolution Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy and in a pulsed-beam experiment at the FN tandem accelerator of the University of Cologne, Germany utilizing a 9Be+130Te fusion-evaporation reaction at a beam energy of 40 MeV. Isomeric states are identified via delayed γ-ray spectroscopy. Hitherto tentative excitation energy, spin, and parity assignments of the 2107-keV Jπ = 23/2+ isomer in 133Xe are confirmed and a half-life of T1/2 = 8.64(13) ms is measured. The 2388-keV state in 135Ba is identified as a Jπ = 23/2+ isomer with a half-life of 1.06(4) ms. The new results show a smooth onset of isomeric Jπ = 23/2+ states along the N = 79 isotones and close a gap in the high-spin systematics towards the recently investigated Jπ = 23/2+ isomer in 139Nd. The resulting systematics of M2 reduced transition probabilities is discussed within the framework of the nuclear shell model. Latest large-scale shell-model calculations employing the SN100PN, GCN50:82, SN100-KTH, and a realistic effective interaction reproduce the experimental findings generally well and give insight into the structure of the isomers.

High-spin structure in the transitional nucleus Xe131 : Competitive neutron and proton alignment in the vicinity of the N=82 shell closure

The transitional nucleus 131Xe is investigated after multinucleon transfer (MNT) in the 136Xe+208Pb and 136Xe+238U reactions employing the high-resolution Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy and as an elusive reaction product in the fusion-evaporation reaction 124Sn(11B,p3n) 131Xe employing the HORUS γ-ray array coupled to a double-sided silicon strip detector (DSSSD) at the University of Cologne, Germany. The level scheme of 131Xe is extended to 5 MeV. A pronounced backbending is observed at ~ω ≈ 0.4 MeV along the negative-parity one-quasiparticle νh11/2(α = −1/2) band. The results are compared to the high-spin systematics of the Z = 54 isotopes and the N = 77 isotones. Large-scale shell-model calculations (LSSM) employing the PQM130, SN100PN, GCN50:82, SN100-KTH and a realistic effective interaction reproduce the experimental findings and provide guidance to elucidate the structure of the high-spin states. Further calculations in 129−132Xe provide insight into the changing nuclear structure along the Xe chain towards the N = 82 shell closure. Proton occupancy in the π 0h11/2 orbital is found to be decisive for the description of the observed backbending phenomenon.

Study of isomeric states in 198,200,202,206Pb and 206Hg populated in fragmentation reactions

Isomeric states in isotopes in the vicinity of doubly-magic 208Pb were populated following reactions of a relativistic 208Pb primary beam impinging on a 9Be fragmentation target. Secondary beams of 198,200,202,206Pb and 206Hg were isotopically separated and implanted in a passive stopper positioned in the focal plane of the GSI Fragment Separator. Delayed γ rays were detected with the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA). Decay schemes were re-evaluated and interpreted with shell-model calculations. The momentum-dependent population of isomeric states in the two-nucleon hole nuclei 206Pb/206Hg was found to differ from the population of multi neutron-hole isomeric states in 198,200,202Pb.

The AGATA Campaign at GANIL

The Advanced Gamma Tracking Array, AGATA, is presently in its construction phase in which the European γ-spectroscopy research community is involved since several years. This powerful HPGe array offers unique possibilities for the study of rare phenomena in nuclei by detailed gamma-ray spectroscopy. The physics campaign in GANIL foresees different setups, with AGATA coupled to different spectrometers, to study nuclear structure properties of nuclei all across the nuclear chart, from light nuclei to very heavy species, using stable and radioactive beams. After a brief description of the AGATA concept, some recent results are presented together with the very interesting opportunities for nuclear structure research in the forthcoming years with AGATA at GANIL.

High-spin structures in Xe132 and Xe133 and evidence for isomers along the N=79 isotones

The transitional nuclei Xe132 and Xe133 are investigated after multinucleon-transfer (MNT) and fusion-evaporation reactions. Both nuclei are populated (i) in Xe136+Pb208 MNT reactions employing the high-resolution Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA, (ii) in the Xe136+Pt198 MNT reaction employing the GAMMASPHERE spectrometer in combination with the gas-detector array CHICO, and (iii) as an evaporation residue after a Te130(α,xn)Xe134−xn fusion-evaporation reaction employing the HORUS γ-ray array at the University of Cologne. The high-spin level schemes are considerably extended above the Jπ=(7−) and (10+) isomers in Xe132 and above the 11/2− isomer in Xe133. The results are compared to the high-spin systematics of the Z=54 as well as the N=78 and N=79 chains. Furthermore, evidence is found for a long-lived (T1/2≫1μs) isomer in Xe133 which closes a gap along the N=79 isotones. Shell-model calculations employing the SN100PN and PQM130 effective interactions reproduce the experimental findings and provide guidance to the interpretation of the observed high-spin features.3 MoreReceived 9 June 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.96.024321©2017 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasElectromagnetic transitionsIsomer decaysLifetimes & widthsNuclear spin & parityNuclear structure & decaysShell modelProperties90 ≤ A ≤ 149Nuclear Physics