Speaker
Description
On behalf of the Asfin collaboration
The study of nuclear reactions in laboratory has always been hindered by the very low cross-sections values at energies of astrophysical interest (1-100keV). This leads nuclear astrophysicists either to build huge and expensive underground laboratories where to perform long experiments with low and controlled background (e.g. LUNA, JUNA), or to exploit in-direct methods usually involving nuclear-structure models such as the Trojan Horse Method (THM) or Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC). Nevertheless, plasma in stellar objects is a very different state from the solid or gas targets commonly used in standard nuclear physics experiments involving conventional accelerators. It is well known that the plasma state affects in a non-negligeable way many nuclear processes (e.g.: the Electron Screening in fusion reactions).
Laser-driven plasma experiments now enable the creation of thermodynamic conditions similar to those in stellar interiors. This allows for controlled laboratory studies of fusion reactions that are otherwise only accessible through astrophysical modeling. In this framework, a dedicated system comprising a cryogenically cooled supersonic valve with controlled temperature and an array of neutron and charged particle detectors will unlock a systematic study of laser-induced $^2$H-$^2$H fusion reactions. Finally, that would represent the solid groundings for a more ambitious study of other astrophysically relevant nuclear fusion reactions involving heavier nuclei (such as $^{12}$C) and more sophisticated detection systems, with the final goal to study the effect of the Electron Screening in plasma.