Performance Studies of the Focal Plane System for the SEparator for CApture Reactions (SECAR)

The SEparator for CApture Reactions (SECAR) will be used to measure fusion reactions that are important in stellar explosions using beams of radioactive nuclei at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. We will describe performance measurements of the full focal plane system tested using alpha sources at Louisiana State University. The focal plane detector system utilizes three different types of detectors to identify fusion products. Two micro-channel plate (MCP) detectors are used together to measure the position and time of flight of particles to determine velocity. A silicon-strip detector or a gas ionization chamber is used as the stopping detector, measuring the energy, position, and atomic number through ΔE-E relative energy loss. Using the two MCP detectors and the silicon detector, we demonstrate position resolution of about 1 mm and a timing resolution of better than 1.1 ns.