The 27Al(p,a)24Mg reaction at astrophysical energies studied by means of the Trojan Horse Method applied to the 2H(27Al,a24Mg)n reaction

TL;DR

This study used the Trojan Horse Method to investigate the 27Al(p,a)24Mg reaction at energies relevant to stellar environments, revealing potential resonances that could influence astrophysical models, though further data is needed for conclusive results.

Contribution

First application of the Trojan Horse Method to the 27Al(p,a)24Mg reaction at astrophysical energies, identifying possible resonances near the Gamow window.

Findings

Confirmation of THM as effective at low energies

Indication of resonances near stellar energies

Need for additional experiments to clarify results

Abstract

The 27Al(p,a)24Mg reaction, which drives the destruction of 27Al and the production of 24Mg in stellar hydrogen burning, has been investigated via the Trojan Horse Method (THM) by measuring the 2H(27Al,a24Mg)n three-body reaction. The experiment covered a broad energy range (-0.5 MeV < E_cm < 1.5 MeV), aiming to investigate those of interest for astrophysics.The results confirm the THM as a valuable technique for the experimental study of fusion reactions at very low energies and suggest the presence of a rich pattern of resonances in the energy region close to the Gamow window of stellar hydrogen burning (70-120 keV), with potential impact on astrophysics. To estimate such an impact a second run of the experiment is needed, since the background due the three-body reaction hampered to collect enough data to resolve the resonant structures and extract the reaction rate.