Dedicated ∆e–e detector system for searching long-lived heaviest nuclei deposited in scintillators

We present a dedicated experimental setup which is currently used to search for long-lived super-heavy elements (SHE) implanted in catcher scintillators which were irradiated by reaction products of ¹⁹⁷ Au (7.5 AMeV) projectile and ²³² Th target collisions during our experiment performed at the Cyclotrone Institute, Texas A&M University in 2015. The built-in novel measuring apparatus consists of ∆E–E detector pairs which are able to register α or spontaneous fission (SF) decays of heavy-reaction products deposited in the catcher scintillators. Their unique feature is that the examined catcher scintillators are at the same time ∆E part of each of ∆E–E detector pair while E part is a silicon detector. Our apparatus is dedicated to search for SHEs which have a lifetime of a year till tens of years. Results of commissioning tests of our setup are presented.