The AGATA project

Each major technical advance in gamma-ray detection devices has resulted in significant new insights into the structure of atomic nuclei. These advances have culminated in the construction of 4π arrays of escape-suppressed spectrometers that comprise a Ge detector and scintillation detector suppression shield. The next major step in gamma-ray spectroscopy involves achieving the ultimate goal of a 4π ball of just Ge detectors by using the technique of gamma-ray energy tracking in electrically segmented Ge crystals.

The resulting spectrometer will have an unparalleled level of detection power for nuclear electromagnetic radiation. Its sensitivity for selecting the weakest signals from exotic nuclear events will be enhanced by a factor of up to 1000 relative to its predecessors. It will have an unprecedented angular resolution making it ideally suited for high-energy resolution even at recoil velocities up to 50% of the velocity of light. Therefore, it is ideally suited to be used in conjunction with the new generation of radioactive beam accelerators or existing stable beam facilities.

A European collaboration has been established to construct a 4π tracking spectrometer called AGATA (Advanced Gamma Tracking Array). This collaboration is currently performing the research and development necessary to finalise the technology for gamma-ray tracking and hence fully specify the full 4π spectrometer. The status of this first phase of the AGATA project will be reported.