Upgrading the CHIMERA detector: State of the art and perspectives

The 4pi charged-particle detector CHIMERA in its full configuration has been successfully operating at the Catania Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) since 2003. Physics experiments studying heavy-ion reactions at Fermi bombarding energies have used a variety of beams delivered by the LNS Superconducting Cyclotron. Recent experimental R&D activity clearly demonstrated that charge identification of intermediate mass fragment stopped in the silicon detector is possible by applying a pulse shape discrimination technique (PSD) even for large capacitance detector operating in direct configuration. Consequently an upgrading of the CHIMERA multi-detector was planned to be operational on years 2006 and 2007. The state of the art and the perspectives of this upgrading are presented.