Speaker
Description
AGATA (the Advanced GAmma-ray Tracking Array) is Europe’s most advanced high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer, providing unprecedented Doppler-correction capabilities thanks to a combination of fine detector segmentation, efficient pulse-shape analysis algorithms, and implementation of an innovative γ-ray tracking concept. Since 2022, it is installed at Legnaro National Laboratories, Italy, for an extensive physics campaign structured into two major phases. The first phase, spanning from 2022 to mid-2026, has seen AGATA coupled with the large-acceptance PRISMA magnetic spectrometer. Among the main subjects of this campaign were the quadrupole and octupole shapes and correlations, explored through lifetime measurements and Coulomb excitation, as well as development of collectivity in the vicinity of shell closures, investigated via measurements of level energies and lifetimes. A significant portion of the allocated beam time was dedicated to reaction-mechanism studies at near and sub-barrier energies, also in the context of nuclear astrophysics.
During the second half of 2026, the array will undergo a major reconfiguration in order to enable it to be coupled with larger complementary detection systems, such as the high-efficiency scintillator array PARIS for high-energy γ rays, as well as the NEDA neutron detector array, which will facilitate studies of neutron-deficient nuclei.
I will discuss the broad lines of the campaign and present selected preliminary results, with a particular focus on nuclear shapes and shape coexistence.
| Contribution category | Experiment |
|---|---|
| Presenter status | Faculty/Staff |