Trojan Horse method and radioactive ion beams: study of 18F(p,α)15O reaction at astrophysical energies

Abstract

The Trojan Horse Method was applied for the first time to a Radioactive Ion Beam induced reaction to study the reaction 18F(p,α)15O via the three body reaction 18F(d,α 15O)n at the low energies relevant for astrophysics.The abundance of 18F in Nova explosions is an important issue for the understanding of this astrophysical phenomenon. For this reason it is necessary to study the nuclear reactions that produce or destroy 18F in Novae. 18F(p,α)15O is one of the main 18F destruction channels. Preliminary results are presented in this paper.