Experimental investigation of the effect of ionization on the 51V(p,n)51Cr reaction

TL;DR

This study experimentally measures how ionization affects neutron production in the 51V(p,n)51Cr reaction, revealing lower neutron yields in ionized targets than predicted, advancing understanding of plasma effects in nuclear reactions.

Contribution

First experimental measurement of the impact of ionization on the 51V(p,n)51Cr reaction, providing new data on plasma effects in nuclear astrophysics.

Findings

Lower neutron production observed in ionized targets than expected

Results challenge existing electron screening and stopping power theories

Paves the way for further studies on ionization effects at astrophysical energies

Abstract

The investigation of the effects of average atomic ionization on nuclear reactions is of prime importance for nuclear astrophysics. No direct experimental measurement using a plasma target has been done yet. In this regard, we measured for the first time the neutron production of a (p,n) reaction in different states of ionization. The studied nuclear reaction was 51V(p,n)51Cr. We measured a significantly lower neutron production than expected when the target was ionized, even when taking into account existing electron screening theory or the effect of the stopping power in the target on the injected proton beam. This experiment is a first step in the process to characterize the influence of ionization at astrophysically relevant energies.