Exogam at GANIL: status, progress, and future

In a previous issue of the 'Nouvelles du GANIL', the design for a future high performance gamma ray spectrometer, EXOGAM, was presented in some detail. Based on the demands of the physics program and the constraints from the expected radioactive ion beams from SPIRAL, technical specifications were defined for the various sub-systems of the array: germanium detectors, anti-Compton shields, possible geometries and associated mechanics, electronics and data acquisition, etc. Detailed simulations calculations were carried out at that time to define the detailed specifications for EXOGAM. Since then, the project has came into reality. The present article aims to describe the progress of the EXOGAM project over the last two years. This concerns the physics case through the extensive use of germanium detectors at GANIL, as well as the technical achievements. (author)