EXODET: a new approach to detection systems for RIB nuclear physics based on ASIC chips developed for high-energy experiments

A new experimental apparatus for charged particle detection, named EXODET (EXOtic DETector) has been designed to be used in nuclear physics experiments involving radioactive ion beams (RIBs). A typical feature of RIBs presently available at the first-generation production facilities is the low beam intensity (10/sup 5/--10/sup 6/ pps); therefore, a large solid angle coverage and a high granularity are required to allow the reconstruction of the complete event kinematics. In this paper, we present the main features of the EXODET apparatus, fulfilling the previous requirements, and the first experimental results.