Active Target Techniques in Low-Energy Nuclear Physics

Time Projection Chambers operated in Active Target mode have gained much attention in recent years due to their compelling tracking capabilities well suited for studying reactions with very exotic nuclei. Active targets provide high luminosity without loss of resolution, low-energy detection thresholds and enable experiments where the beam intensities can be as low as 102 pps. Because of these reasons, many facilities focused on the production of the most exotic nuclear species (i.e. FRIB (USA), RIKEN (Japan) and FAIR (Germany)) are including Active Targets in their broad and competitive experimental programs. Study of giant resonances through inelastic scattering or the investigation of cluster structures in exotic nuclei via resonant scattering are typical examples of inverse kinematic experiments that greatly benefit from the implementation of the AT technology. In this talk, I will present the evolution and application of the Active Target technology and associated techniques in low-energy nuclear physics experiments. I will begin with an overview of different Active Target detectors featuring different geometries and capabilities, and I will discuss the challenges associated with the construction of the device, the electronics and the data analysis. Finally, I will introduce the physics cases that have been studied and proposed, experiments using unconventional techniques and future projects within a broader context.