Proton-Induced Reactions of Astrophysical Interest

Abstract

Abstract. A discrepancy exists between the 6 Li abundances predicted from big bang nucleosynthesis models and those measured in pre-main sequence stars. To further constrain the predicted abundances of 6 Li in these stars, high accuracy measurements are required of reactions destroying 6 Li. Namely 6 Li(p,γ) 7 Be and 6 Li(p,α) 3 He. These have recently been studied at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) to measure their low energy cross sections. I present both the campaign's experimental setup and current status of the data analysis.