Performance of the CAT-TPC based on two-dimensional readout strips

A gas detector 140×140×140 mm^(3)in size,termed the compact active target time projection chamber(CAT-TPC),was developed in this study to measure resonant scattering associated with cluster structures in unstable nuclei.The CAT-TPC consists of an electronic field cage,double-thick gas-electron-multiplier foils,a general-purpose digital data acquisition system,and a newly developed two-dimensional strip-readout structure.The CAT-TPC was operated using a^(4)He(96%)+CO_(2)(4%)gas mixture at 400 mbar.The working gas also serves as an active target for tracking charged particles.The overall performance of the CAT-TPC was evaluated using a collimated a-particle source.A time resolution of less than 20 ns and a position resolution of less than 0.2 mm were observed along the electron drift direction.Threedimensional images of incident trajectories and scattering events can be clearly reconstructed under an angular resolution of approximately 0.45 degree.