From the Sun
to supernovae:
experimental determinations of stellar reaction rates at TRIUMF, J.
Fallis,
TRIUMF, Canada − The ongoing goal of the TRIUMF astrophysics group is to
measure
resonance strengths and cross sections for reactions of
astrophysical
importance. This is
done using
accelerated radioactive and stable beams from ISAC I and II
delivered to the
DRAGON and TUDA facilities. Experiments
in
recent years range from: 3He(α,γ)7Be to
study big bang
nucleosynthesis and the production of solar neutrinos; to 17O(α,γ)21Ne
which
affects the strength of a neutron poison reaction in the s-process
in red
giant stars; to 18F(p,γ)19Ne to
study the
resulting 18F abundance in novae which can then be
detected from the
511 keV γ-rays given off in its decay; to a recent 76Se(α,γ)80Kr
experiment
which will provide the first measurement of this rate needed to
calculate the inverse reaction, which is a branching point of the
p-process in
supernovae. The results of these experiments and others will
be discussed
along with the various techniques required for these measurements.