Study of the ²⁰Ne(p,γ)²¹Na reaction at LUNA

¹ Dipartimento di Fisica ed Astronomia "G. Galilei", via Marzolo 8, 35131, Padova, Italy
² INFN Sezione di Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131, Padova, Italy

^* e-mail: antonio.caciolli@unipd.it

Published online: 14 March 2024

Abstract

The NeNa-MgAl cycles are involved in the synthesis of Ne, Na, Mg, and Al isotopes. The ²⁰Ne(p,γ)²¹Na (Q = 2431.68 keV) reaction is the first and slowest reaction of the NeNa cycle and it controls the speed at which the entire cycle proceeds. At the state of the art, the uncertainty on the ²⁰Ne(p,γ)²¹Na reaction rate affects the production of the elements in the NeNa cycle. In particular, in the temperature range from 0.1 GK to 1 GK, the rate is dominated by the 366 keV resonance corresponding to the excited state of EX = 2797.5 keV and by the direct capture component. The present study focus on the study of the 366 keV resonance and the direct capture below 400 keV. At LUNA (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics) the ²⁰Ne(p,γ)²¹Na reaction has been measured using the intense proton beam delivered by the LUNA 400 kV accelerator and a windowless differential-pumping gas target. The products of the reaction are detected with two high-purity germanium detectors. The experimental details and preliminary results on the 366 keV resonance and on the direct capture component at very low energies will be shown, together with their possible impact on the ²⁰Ne(p,γ)²¹Na reaction rate.