Design and Operation of a Facility to Study Gamow - Interactions with the

An experimental facility to study spin-flip charge -exchange reactions in the beta_+ direction has been built. The design, construction, and operation of this facility, the Proton Spectrometer, are discussed. The system was designed to utilize both (d, ^2He) and (n,p) reactions in the energy range available with the K = 500 cyclotron at Texas A&M University, that is 110-160 MeV deuteron beams. The design constraints imposed by these reactions are discussed. In particular, a magnetic spectrometer is needed in both cases to separate out the reactants from the primary beam to study small angle scattering. A dedicated detector system is needed in conjunction with the magnet. Its design, prototyping, and final implementation are also discussed. The system calibration has been investigated with the ^{12}C(d,^2He) ^{12}B reaction at 111 MeV. Details of the operation and calibration process are presented. The energy resolution of the system is significantly better than is available at other facilities that also study these reactions.