Speaker
Giovanni Francesco Ciani
(Gran Sasso Science Institute)
Description
13C(α, n)16O reaction is the main neutron source of the s process, which is responsible for the synthesis of about half of the heavy (A> 58) nuclei in the universe. This process takes place in the interiors of low mass AGB stars, with temperatures between 90 and 100 MK, corresponding to Gamow energies in the range of 140 and 230 keV.
The direct measurement of the 13C(α,n)16O reaction cross section towards the rele- vant energy range for astrophysics is the aim of a current experimental campaign of the LUNA experiment.
The low background condition in the LNGS deep underground laboratory, combined with the LUNA accelerator offers a unique possibility to suppress the natural neutron background that has so far been the limiting factor of direct measurements on the surface.
Another important source of systematic uncertainty comes from the target degrada- tion during the beam irradiation.
In the poster I will present the current status of the project, focusing the work on the analysis for the monitoring of the target degradation and the status of data analysis.
Primary author
Giovanni Francesco Ciani
(Gran Sasso Science Institute)
Co-authors
Andreas Best
(INFN Napoli)
Laszlo Csedreki
(INFN - LNGS)
