Speaker
Description
The calorimetric Proton Detector GAseous Detector with GErmanium Tagging (GADGET) detection system has been upgraded to operate as a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) to detect low energy β-delayed single- and multi-particle emission of interest to nuclear astrophysics. The upgrade, known as GADGET II, uses micro pattern gaseous amplifier detector technology and will be surrounded by an array of high-purity germanium detectors for efficient high-resolution detection of γ-rays. In November 2022, GADGET II was successfully used for in beam measurements to measure the strength of the key 15O(a, γ)19Ne resonance in Type I X-ray bursts. At hot CNO cycle break-out temperatures, the rate of this reaction is strongly dominated by a single resonance with a center of mass energy of 506 keV corresponding to a 19Ne state having an excitation energy of 4034 keV. This state has a well-known lifetime, so only a finite value for the small alpha-particle branching ratio is needed to determine the reaction rate. Previous measurements have shown that this state is populated in the decay sequence of 20Mg. 20Mg(βpα)15O events through key 15O(α,γ)19Ne resonance yields a characteristic signature: the emission of a proton and alpha particle. To identify these events of interest GADGET II detection system was used at Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). In this talk, I will discuss the major detector upgrades, performance of the detector and present some simulations, preliminary results from the experiment and future possibilities with GADGET II at FRIB.
