AstroBox: A novel detection system for very low-energy protons from beta-delayed proton decay

作者：Pollacco E; Trache L; Simmons E; Spiridon A; McCleskey M; Roeder B T^*; Saastamoinen A; Tribble R E; Pascovici G; Kebbiri M; Mols J P; Raillot M

来源：Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment , 2013, 723: 102-108.

DOI：10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.084

• Micro pattern gas amplifier detector
• MPGAD
• beta-delayed proton decay
• Al-23
• Nuclear astrophysics

An instrument, AstroBox, has been developed to perform low energy proton spectroscopy from beta-delayed proton emitters of interest to astrophysics studies. Energetic precursor nuclei are identified and stopped in the gas volume of the detector. The subsequent beta or beta-proton decay traces ionized paths in the gas. The ionization electrons are drifted in an electric field and are amplified with a Micro Pattern Gas Amplifier Detector (MPGAD). The system was tested in-beam using the beta-delayed proton-emitter Al-23, which was produced with the p(Mg-24,Al-23)2n reaction and separated with the Momentum Achromat Recoil Spectrometer (MARS) at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University. Off-beam proton spectra have essentially no beta background down to similar to 100 keV and have a resolution of similar to 15 keV (fwhm) for proton-decay lines at E-p = 197 and 255 keV. Lines with pp-branching as low as 0.02% are observed. In addition, the device also gives good mass and charge resolution for energetic heavy ions measured in-beam.

• 出版日期2013-9-21
• 单位中国地震局