Status of Direct ²³Na(p, \(\gamma \))²⁴Mg and ¹⁸O(p, \(\gamma \))¹⁹F Cross Section Measurements Underground at LUNA

Abstract

The reactions 23 Na(p, γ) 24 Mg and 18 O(p, γ) 19 F are currently under study at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory. The reaction rates of the two reactions in the temperature range up to several hundred MK are determined by the direct capture process and few narrow resonances. For both reactions the strength of some of these resonances are known only with a large uncertainty, or with upper limits that do not exclude their relevance for astrophysics. The measurements at LUNA aim at a direct detection of these reactions at low energies, to provide data to decrease the uncertainty of the reaction rates. The two reactions are studied in parallel with the same two detector setups. We present the setups as well as the status of the measurements.

Improved background suppression for radiative capture reactions at LUNA with HPGe and BGO detectors

“…These complementary detector systems have been used for past cross section measurements at LUNA, and have recently been upgraded with a lead shielding and an improved data acquisition (DAQ) system. These upgrades were installed in order to enhance the sensitivity of the setups for currently ongoing measurements [9], and for future measurements planned at LUNA and the new LUNA MV.…”