Active Target detectors for studies with exotic beams: Present and next future

Reaccelerated radioactive beams near the Coulomb barrier, which are starting to be available from the ReA3 accelerator at NSCL and in next future at FRIB, will open up new opportunities for the study of nuclear structure near the drip lines. Efficient measurement techniques must be developed to compensate for the limited intensity of the most exotic beams. The Active-Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) constructed at MSU solves this problem by providing the increased luminosity of a thick target while maintaining a good energy resolution by tracking the reaction vertex over an essentially 4π4π solid angle. The AT-TPC and similar detectors allow us to take full advantage of the radioactive ion beams at present and future nuclear physics facilities to explore the frontier of rare isotopes.