AstroBox2E: a detection system for very low energy β-delayed proton decay

To study very low-energy β-delayed proton decay, which are of interest for astrophysics, it is essential to achieve an efficient suppression of the β-background. ASTROBOX is such a device: energetic precursor nuclei are produced, identified and then stopped in the gas volume of the detector. The resulting β or β-proton decay traces are ionizing paths in the gas. The electrons produced through ionization are drifted in an electric field and are amplified with a Micro Pattern Gas Amplifier Detector (MPGAD). High gain and high signal to noise ratio are expected to be obtained. The two predecessors of this detection system which is under construction now in our group are AstroBox and AstroBox2, which were built and commissioned at Texas A&M University. The goal of this project is to build and use AstroBox2E at European facilities.