Proton-induced lithium destruction cross-section and its astrophysical implications

Abstract

Knowledge of the primordial nucleosynthesis offers a powerful tool to retrieve information on the baryon density of the Universe. In this context lithium isotopes play a crucial role and in particular we stress how important the bare nucleus cross-section for the 7 Li(p, $\alpha)^4$He reaction is. Recent application of the Trojan Horse Method led to an indirect measurement of that cross-section. In the present paper its astrophysical implications are examined in the case of the Solar lithium problem and of the primordial nucleosynthesis.