AGATA—Advanced GAmma Tracking Array

Abstract

The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) is a European project to develop and operate the next generation γ-ray spectrometer. AGATA is based on the technique of γ-ray energy tracking in electrically segmented high-purity germanium crystals. This technique requires the accurate determination of the energy, time and position of every interaction as a γ ray deposits its energy within the detector volume. Reconstruction of the full interaction path results in a detector with very high efficiency and excellent spectral response. The realisation of γ-ray tracking and AGATA is a result of many technical advances. These include the development of encapsulated highly segmented germanium detectors assembled in a triple cluster detector cryostat, an electronics system with fast digital sampling and a data acquisition system to process the data at a high rate. The full characterisation of the crystals was measured and compared with detector-response simulations. This enabled pulse-shape analysis algorithms, to extract energy, time and position, to be employed. In addition, tracking algorithms for event reconstruction were developed. The first phase of AGATA is now complete and operational in its first physics campaign. In the future AGATA will be moved between laboratories in Europe and operated in a series of campaigns to take advantage of the different beams and facilities available to maximise its science output. The paper reviews all the achievements made in the AGATA project including all the necessary infrastructure to operate and support the spectrometer

1−and2+discrete states inZr90populated via theCrespi1, Bracco2, Nicolini3 et al. 2015Phys. Rev. CSelf Cite361120View full textAdd to dashboardCite

“…AGATA is a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector array of new generation making it possible to use the techniques of pulseshape analysis and of γ -ray tracking [23,24]. At the time of this experiment the AGATA demonstrator consisted of three triple clusters of HPGe detectors and was placed 13.5 cm from the target covering an angular range in θ from 100…”

Gamma Decay of the Possible $1^-$ Two-phonon State in $^{140}$Ce Excited via Inelastic Scattering of $^{17}$O

“…The resulting solid angle covered by the Si telescopes was 100 msr. The γ rays emitted from excited nuclei were registered by 5 triple clusters of AGATADemonstrator (AD) which consists of high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors [12,13]. AD capabilities to identify a point of interaction of γ rays in Ge crystal using PSA (Pulse Shape Analysis) and further reconstruction of the γ rays path (tracking) were exploited during data analysis.…”

Population of the2ms+mixed-symmetry state ofBa140with theα-transfe

“…The DSSSD was segmented into 32 rings in polar angle and 64 segments in azimuth angle, where always two adjacent azimuth segments were electrically combined resulting in 32 effective azimuth segments. γ rays were observed with the AGATA demonstrator [15,16], consisting of 15 high-purity germanium crystals at the time of the measurement. The AGATA demonstrator was placed in backward direction and covered polar angles from θ γ,< ≈ 74 • to θ γ,> ≈ 164 • .…”