R. J. De Boer - A renewed evaluation of the 3He(a,g) reaction
by
Richard James De Boer(Notre Dame University)
→
Europe/Rome
Pontecorvo room (LNGS)
Pontecorvo room
LNGS
Description
The capture reaction 3He(a,g) is a critical reaction in Big Bang Nucleosythesis as it is the main way 7Li is created.
The recent high precision measurements of the cosmic baryon density of WMAP can be combined with the Big Bang Nucleosynthsis models
to predict the abundances of the light elements. These predictions can be compared to observations in metal poor stars.
While the predictions and observations agree quite well for hydrogen and deuterium, the 7Li abundance differs on the 4 to 5 sigma level.
Furthermore a precise determination of 3He(a,g) is desirable for an improved understanding of the solar interior.
In this talk I look at the underlying data used to calculate the 3He(a,g) reaction. It will be shown that an R-matrix fit can describe
all of the modern experimental data. The estimate of the uncertainty on the cross section, as determined from a simultaneous fit of
several modern data sets, is also discussed.
