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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 ( $ ) 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.

The Super Separator Spectrometer (S3S3) facility is developed in the framework of the SPIRAL2 project [1]. S3S3 has been designed to extend the capability of the facility to perform experiments with extremely low cross sections, taking advantage of the very high intensity stable beams of the superconducting linear accelerator of SPIRAL2. It will mainly use fusion-evaporation reactions to reach extreme regions of the nuclear chart: new opportunities will be opened for super-heavy element studies and spectroscopy at and beyond the driplines. In addition to our previous article (Dechery et al. [2]) introducing the optical layout of the spectrometer and the expected performances, this article will present the current status of the main elements of the facility: the target station, the superconducting multipole, and the magnetic and electric dipoles, with a special emphasis on the status of the detection system SIRIUS and on the low-energy branch which includes the REGLIS3 system. S3S3 will also be a source of low energy radioactive isotopes for delivery to the DESIR facility.

Gamma-ray astronomy in the energy range from 0.1 up to 100 MeV holds many understudied questions connected with e.g. stellar nucleosynthesis, the active Sun, neutron stars and black holes. To access the physics behind, a significant improvement in detection sensitivity is needed compared to previous missions, e.g. CGRO and INTEGRAL. One of the promising concepts for a future gamma-ray mission is an Advanced Compton Telescope. Under the project of creating a prototype of such instrument, we study the perspectives of using a novel inorganic scintillator as a calorimeter part. Modern inorganic crystal or ceramics scintillators are constantly improving on qualities such as energy resolution and radiation hardness, and this makes them a smart choice for a new space-borne telescope. At CSNSM Orsay, we have assembled a detection module from a 5 × 5 cm 2 area and 1 cm thick, cerium-doped lanthanum (III) bromide (LaBr 3 :Ce) inorganic scintillator coupled to a 64 channel multi-anode photomultiplier. The readout of the PMT signals is carried out with the ASIC MAROC, used previously for the luminometer of the ATLAS detector (CERN). Characterization, thorough measurements with various radioactive sources, as well as, single photoelectron detection have been done. Furthermore, we made a comparison of measurements with a detailed GEANT4-based simulation which includes tracking of the optical photons. Finally, we have studied the 3D reconstruction of the first interaction point of incident gamma rays, utilizing a neural network algorithm. This spatial position resolution plays a crucial part in the future implementations and, together with the other measured properties, it makes our detector module very interesting for the next generation of space telescopes operating in the MeV range.

A Coulomb-excitation experiment to study electromagnetic properties of Ca42 was performed using a 170-MeV calcium beam from the TANDEM XPU facility at INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. γ rays from excited states in Ca42 were measured with the AGATA spectrometer. The magnitudes and relative signs of ten E2 matrix elements coupling six low-lying states in Ca42, including the diagonal E2 matrix elements of 21+ and 22+ states, were determined using the least-squares code gosia. The obtained set of reduced E2 matrix elements was analyzed using the quadrupole sum rule method and yielded overall quadrupole deformation for 01,2+ and 21,2+ states, as well as triaxiality for 01,2+ states, establishing the coexistence of a weakly deformed ground-state band and highly deformed slightly triaxial sideband in Ca42. The experimental results were compared with the state-of-the-art large-scale shell-model and beyond-mean-field calculations, which reproduce well the general picture of shape coexistence in Ca42.

L. Pellegri et al. ; 5 pags. ; 6 figs. ; open access article under the CC BY license. Funded by SCOAP3, © 2014 The Authors. The γ decay from the high-lying states of 124Sn was measured using the inelastic scattering of 17O at 340 MeV. The emitted γ rays were detected with high resolution with the AGATA demonstrator array and the scattered ions were detected in two segmented δE-E silicon telescopes. The angular distribution was measured both for the γ rays and the scattered 17O ions. An accumulation of E1 strength below the particle threshold was found and compared with previous data obtained with (γ, γ') and (α, α'γ) reactions. The present results of elastic scattering, and excitation of E2 and E1 states were analysed using the DWBA approach. From this comprehensive description the isoscalar component of the 1- excited states was extracted. The obtained values are based on the comparison of the data with DWBA calculations including a form factor deduced using a microscopic transition density., Grant No. 2011/03/B/ST2/01894; (iii) the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU; (iv) the US NSF Grant PHY-1204486; and the German BMBF under Grant 06KY9136.

SIRIUS is a state-of-the-art detector system for nuclear decay spectroscopy that will be mounted at the focal plane of S3 (Super Separator Spectrometer), which is part of the new SPIRAL2 facility at GANIL, Caen in France. Such a system requires high performance as it is dedicated to the study of very exotic nuclei. It is the result of collaboration between GANIL CSNSM, IRFU, and IPHC It is composed of a succession of detectors (Trackers, Silicon detector DSSD and Tunnel plus an array of five clover Germanium detectors). This set-up is mounted in a compact geometry. The energy measurement varies from 50 keV to over 500 MeV with high precision (2 × 10−3) at low energies and 1 % for the detection of heavy ions. A major challenge has been the development of new electronics with a very large dynamic range maintaining an adequate energy resolution for the measured particles (with energies from a few hundred keV up to 500 MeV).

Astronomy in the MeV gamma-ray band (0.1 - 100 MeV) holds a rich promise for elucidating many fundamental questions concerning the most violent cosmic phenomena. The next generation of gamma-ray space instrument could be a Compton and pair-creation telescope made of two main parts: a silicon tracker optimized for Compton scattering of cosmic gamma rays and a calorimeter that absorbs the scattered photons. We present here the first results of GAMCOTE, a GAMma-ray COmpton TElescope prototype which includes thick double sided silicon strip detectors coupled to a LaBr3:Ce crystal read by a 64 multi-anode photomultiplier tube.

The electronics of AGATA HPGe segmented gamma ray detector faces a new challenge in the search of a bigger integration and cost reduction for the phase 2 of the experiment going beyond 45 crystals. This opportunity can be used to introduce a new architecture based on commercial standards while keeping backward compatibility with current electronics. In this sense, new FPGA devices and fast Ethernet links can be used to ease the preprocessing and control task and allowing for processor farms to distribute the processing load. At the same time, modularity should be a key feature of the design in the aim to make it upgradable in time and technology. This paper presents the design of a new preprocessing and control board that could fulfill with the experiment requirements having in mind that it should not be only a new system but also should serve as replacement of the current electronics. The design is intended to process the data coming from 3 crystals (114 channels) in the same board, with a total aggregate bandwidth of 216 Gpbs using 2 Gbps input optical fiber links in SNAP12 format and with a data readout done through Ethernet fiber optics. It is expected that, with this new system, the level of integration will raise up to 3 times while cost will scale down a 30% with respect to the current electronics.

The properties of pygmy dipole states in Pb-208 were investigated using the Pb-208(O-17, O-17'gamma) reaction at 340 MeV and measuring the gamma decay with high resolution with the AGATA demonstrator array. Cross sections and angular distributions of the emitted gamma rays and of the scattered particles were measured. The results are compared with (gamma, gamma') and (p, p') data. The data analysis with the distorted wave Born approximation approach gives a good description of the elastic scattering and of the inelastic excitation of the 2(+) and 3(-) states. For the dipole transitions a form factor obtained by folding a microscopically calculated transition density was used for the first time. This has allowed us to extract the isoscalar component of the 1(-) excited states from 4 to 8 MeV.

The properties of pygmy dipole states in 208Pb were investigated using the 208Pb(17O, 17O'γ) reaction at 340 MeV and measuring the γ decay with high resolution with the AGATA demonstrator array. Cross sections and angular distributions of the emitted γ rays and of the scattered particles were measured. The results are compared with (γ, γ') and (p, p') data. The data analysis with the distorted wave Born approximation approach gives a good description of the elastic scattering and of the inelastic excitation of the 2+ and 3- states. For the dipole transitions a form factor obtained by folding a microscopically calculated transition density was used for the first time. This has allowed us to extract the isoscalar component of the 1- excited states from 4 to 8 MeV.

Lifetimes of the low-lying (11/2-) states in 63,65Co have been measured employing the recoil distance doppler shift method (RDDS) with the AGATA γ-ray array and the PRISMA mass spectrometer. These nuclei were populated via a multinucleon transfer reaction by bombarding a 238U target with a beam of 64Ni. The experimental B(E2) reduced transition probabilities for 63,65Co are well reproduced by large-scale shell-model calculations that predict a constant trend of the B(E2) values up to the N=40 67Co isotope

The K hindrance to the gamma decay is studied in the warm rotating W-174 nucleus, focusing on the weakening of the selection rules of the K quantum number with increasing excitation energy. W-174 was populated by the fusion reaction of Ti-50 (at 217 MeV) on a Te-128 target, and its gamma decay was detected by the AGATA Demonstrator array coupled to a BaF2 multiplicity filter at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of INFN. A fluctuation analysis of gamma coincidence matrices gives a similar number of low-K and high-K discrete excited bands. The results are compared to simulations of the gamma-decay flow based on a microscopic cranked shell model at finite temperature in which the K mixing is governed by the interplay of Coriolis force with the residual interaction. Agreement between simulations and experiment is obtained only by hindering the E1 decay between low-K and high-K bands by an amount compatible with that determined by spectroscopic studies of K isomers in the same mass region, with a similar trend with excitation energy. The work indicates that K mixing due to temperature effects may play a leading role for the entire body of discrete excited bands, which probes the onset region of K weakening.

This work has been partly financed by the European Union Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007-2013 under Grant Agreement No. 262010 ENSAR, the Polish MNiSW under Grant No. DPN/N190/AGATA/2009, the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion under Contract No. FPA2011-29854-C04, and ´ the BMBF under Grant Nos. 05P12RDFN8 and 06DA9040I.

The CPLEAR collaboration has constructed a detector at CERN for an extensive programme of CP-, T- and CPT-symmetry studies using ${\rm K}^0$ and $\bar{\rm K}^0$ produced by the annihilation of $\bar{\rm p}$'s in a hydrogen gas target. The ${\rm K}^0$ and $\bar{\rm K}^0$ are identified by their companion products of the annihilation ${\rm K}^{\pm} \pi^{\mp}$ which are tracked with multiwire proportional chambers, drift chambers and streamer tubes. Particle identification is carried out with a liquid Cherenkov detector for fast separation of pions and kaons and with scintillators which allow the measurement of time of flight and energy loss. Photons are measured with a lead/gas sampling electromagnetic calorimeter. The required antiproton annihilation modes are selected by fast online processors using the tracking chamber and particle identification information. All the detectors are mounted in a 0.44 T uniform field of an axial solenoid of diameter 2 m and length 3.6 m to form a magnetic spectrometer capable of full on-line reconstruction and selection of events. The design, operating parameters and performance of the sub-detectors are described.}

Electronics for six EUROGAM BGO shields is integrated onto one VXI (VME extension for instrumentation) D-size module. For each of the six shields, time and energy measurements are processed. As each shield consists of 10 BGO detectors, a 'hit' pattern of the BGO detectors is also built. The output of the very-low-energy discriminator for the anti-Compton shield is transmitted, via the VXI local bus lines, to the corresponding Ge channel in the neighboring VXI module to allow fast suppression to take place. >

SAPhIR is the acronym for S_aclay A_quitaine P_h_otovoltaic cells for I_somer R_esearch. It consists of solar cells, used for fission-fragment detection. It is a collaboration between 3 laboratories: CEA Saclay, CENBG Bordeaux and CEA Bruyeres le Châtel. The coupling of a highly efficient fission-fragment detector like SAPhIR with EUROBALL will provide new insights in the study of very deformed nuclear matter and in the spectroscopy of neutron-rich nuclei.

The Coulomb excitation experiment to study electromagnetic structure of low-lying states in Ca-42 with a focus on a possible superdeformation in this nucleus was performed at the Laboratori Naziona ...