Abstract
The 13 C(α , n)16 O reaction is the main neutron source for the s-process in low mass AGB stars. Although several direct measurements have been performed, no dataset reaches the Gamow window due to the low cross section. Moreover a dominant component of systematic uncertainty comes from target behaviour under beam irradiation.This work presents a detailed characterization of enriched 13 C targets in order to test reproducibility and uniformity of the evaporation method, stability and purity of targets under a high intensity proton beam (100-200 uA) for the study of this reaction at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) facility installed at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS, INFN). A procedure to evaluate the target thickness and to monitor its degradation is discussed and preliminary results are presented.
Highlights
The 13C(α, n)16O reaction is the main neutron source for the s-process in low mass Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars
The Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) collaboration plans the measurement of the cross section of this reaction going down in energy approaching the Gamow window with an overall accuracy of 10%
This will be performed at LNGS, combining a neutron background reduction of 3 orders of magnitude compared with the surface [5] with an intense alpha beam delivered by the LUNA 400 accelerator [6]
Summary
The 13C(α, n)16O reaction is the major neutron source for the main component of the s-process in low mass (1 – 3M ) Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, whose temperature of interest is around 1 – 2 · 108 K This corresponds to a Gamow window between 120 and 250 keV. The LUNA collaboration plans the measurement of the cross section of this reaction going down in energy approaching the Gamow window with an overall accuracy of 10% This will be performed at LNGS, combining a neutron background reduction of 3 orders of magnitude compared with the surface [5] with an intense alpha beam delivered by the LUNA 400 accelerator [6]
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