MITA: A Multilayer Ionization-chamber Telescope Array for low-energy reactions with exotic nuclei

.We report on the development of a new, portable detector array for charged particles with a low detection threshold to study the reaction mechanisms of exotic nuclear systems at energies around the Coulomb barrier. In order to identify both light and heavy particles simultaneously, the array consists of ten units of E-ER telescopes, where each one is made up of four detection layers: one ionization chamber, one 40 (or 60)m double-sided silicon strip detector and two quadrant silicon detectors with thicknesses of 300m and 1000 (or 1500)m, respectively. The frame of the ionization chamber is innovatively designed with printed circuit boards, thus the mass of each telescopic unit was reduced significantly which eases transport and installation requirements to different radioactive ion beam lines around the globe. The commissioning experiments focused on elucidating several reaction mechanisms encountered in the F-17 + Ni-58 and F-17 + Pb-208 systems, and we demonstrated that the array has a sufficient capability to enable charged particle identification over a large range of Z. Light particles like p, d, as well as heavy ions like O-16 and F-17 can be clearly distinguished. Considering these properties, this newly developed array enables in-depth investigation of the novel reaction mechanisms which are manifested in the collisions of exotic nuclei with differing isotopes.