A compilation of charged-particle induced thermonuclear reaction rates

Energy levels of light nuclei A=8,9,10

The available data on nuclear fusion cross sections important to energy generation in the Sun and other hydrogen-burning stars and to solar neutrino production are summarized and critically evaluated. Recommended values and uncertainties are provided for key cross sections, and a recommended spectrum is given for {sup 8}B solar neutrinos. Opportunities for further increasing the precision of key rates are also discussed, including new facilities, new experimental techniques, and improvements in theory. This review, which summarizes the conclusions of a workshop held at the Institute for Nuclear Theory, Seattle, in January 2009, is intended as a 10-year update and supplement to 1998, Rev. Mod. Phys. 70, 1265.

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Solar fusion cross sections II: the pp chain and CNO cycles

We improve Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (SBBN) calculations taking into account new nuclear physics analyses (Descouvemont et al. 2003). Using a Monte-Carlo technique, we calculate the abundances of light nuclei versus the baryon to photon ratio.The results concerning omegab are compared to relevant astrophysical and cosmological observations. Consistency between WMAP, SBBN results and D/H data strengthens the deduced baryon density and has interesting consequences on cosmic chemical evolution. A significant discrepancy between the calculated Li-7 deduced from WMAP and the Spite plateau is clearly revealed. To explain this discrepancy three possibilities are invoked : uncertainties on the Li abundance, surface alteration of Li in the course of stellar evolution or poor knowledge of the reaction rates related to Be-7 destruction. In particular, the possible role of the up to now neglected Be-7(d,p)2He-4 and Be-7(d,alpha)Li5 reactions is considered. The impressive advances in CMB observations provide a strong motivation for more efforts in experimental nuclear physics and high quality spectroscopy to keep BBN in pace. Comment: accepted in ApJ, 22 pages, 5 figures

Updated Big Bang nucleosynthesis confronted to WMAP observations and to the abundance of light elements

NACRE II: an update of the NACRE compilation of charged-particle-induced thermonuclear reaction rates for nuclei with mass number A < 16

The fusion reactions10B(p, α)7Be and11B(p, α)8Be have been studied over the c.m. energy range E=17 to 134 keV using intense proton beams and thick solid targets. In the case of11B(p, α)8Be the low-energy data in terms of the astrophysical S(E) factor show an exponential enhancement (up to a factor of 1.9) due to the effects of electron screening, where the deduced screening potential is larger than expected. In the case of10B(p, α)7Be the low-energy data exhibit an enhancement by more than a factor of 200, which cannot be explained by the effects of electron screening. The enhancement arises here from the high-energy tail of an expecteds-wave resonance at ER=10 keV. The results offer an improved prospect for this reaction as advanced fuel in future fusion reactors than previously envisioned.

The effects of electron screening and resonances in ( p, α ) reactions on 10 B and 11 B at thermal energies

Nuclear resonant reaction analysis techniques for hydrogen depth profiling in solid materials typically have used15N ion beams at 6.40 MeV and19F ion beams at 6.42 MeV, which require a tandem accelerator. We report a new technique using an18O ion beam at a resonance energy of 2.70 MeV, which requires only a single stage accelerator. Improved values of the nuclear parameters for the 2.70 MeV (18O) and 6.40 MeV (15N) resonances are reported. The beam energy spread was investigated for different ions and ion charge states and found to scale with the charge state. Data obtained using atomic and molecular gas targets reveal the research potential of Doppler spectroscopy. Examples of hydrogen depth profiling in solid materials using15N and18O ion beams are presented.

Hydrogen depth profiling using 18 O ions

Excitation functions and forward-backward anisotropies have been measured for the7Li(p, γ)8Be capture reaction over the proton energy rangeE

 p
 =100 to 1500 keV, using a 4π summing crystal and Ge(Li) detectors, respectively. The data show at all energies the presence of El and M1 capture amplitudes arising from the direct capture (DC) process and theE

 R
 =441 and 1030 keV resonances, respectively. Due to the observed DC process, the present data increase significantly the reaction rates (up to a factor of 110) compared to values given in the compilation. The data and their analyses remove the recent criticism on DC model calculations, which had implied a significant reduction in the extrapolated S(E) factor for7Be(p,γ)B and thus in the predicted flux of high-energy solar neutrinos; thus, the solar neutrino problem is still with us.

The S(E) factor of 7 Li(p, γ) 8 Be and consequences for S(E) extrapolation in 7 Be(p, γ 0 ) 8 B

The 27Al(p,γ)28Si reaction has been investigated using two different 4π NaI summing detectors. The strength of 26 resonances in the energy range from 200 to 1120 keV has been measured. In addition, yield measurements have been carried out at 9 beam energies in the 490 to 1150 keV range in order to determine the direct capture cross-section. The existing data on the non-resonant mechanism were analysed and combined with the results of the present work. The resulting resonance strengths as well as the deduced direct capture astrophysical S-factor are compared with previous work.

W.H. Schulte

Papers

The effects of electron screening and resonances in ( p, α ) reactions on 10 B and 11 B at thermal energies

Hydrogen depth profiling using 18 O ions

The S(E) factor of 7 Li(p, γ) 8 Be and consequences for S(E) extrapolation in 7 Be(p, γ 0 ) 8 B

The 27Al (p,γ)28Si reaction: direct capture cross-section and resonance strengths at Ep = 0.2-1.12 MeV

22Na(p,γ)23Mg resonant reaction at low energies