Measurement of the 13C(α,n)16O reaction with the Trojan horse method: Focus on the sub threshold resonance at −3 keV

Abstract

Abstract. The 13 C(α, n) 16 O reaction is the neutron source of the main component of the s-process. The astrophysical S(E)-factor is dominated by the -3 keV sub-threshold resonance due to the 6.356 MeV level in 17 O. Its contribution is still controversial as extrapolations, e.g., through R-matrix calculations, and indirect techniques, such as the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC), yield inconsistent results. Therefore, we have applied the Trojan Horse Method (THM) to the 13 C( 6 Li, n 16 O)d reaction to measure its contribution. For the first time, the ANC for the 6.356 MeV level has been deduced through the THM, allowing to attain an unprecedented accuracy. Though a larger ANC for the 6.356 MeV level is measured, our experimental S(E) factor agrees with the most recent extrapolation in the literature in the 140-230 keV energy interval, the accuracy being greatly enhanced thanks to this innovative approach, merging together two well establish indirect techniques, namely, the THM and the ANC.