Exploring the NeNa cycle: New experimental results at astrophysical energies
Dr. Eliana Masha
Felsenkeller underground laboratory
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
The neon-sodium (NeNa) cycle is a crucial nuclear reaction pathway in massive stars (M > 5M⊙) and in binary systems with oxygen-neon (ONe) novae. This cycle plays a significant role in nucleosynthesis, influencing the production of neon and sodium isotopes. In recent years, most nuclear reactions involved in the NeNa cycle, as well as their effects on final isotopic abundances, have been constrained by several experimental groups. However, substantial uncertainties remain in the first two reactions, 20Ne(p,γ)21Na and 21Ne(p,γ)22Na, and in the last one, 23Na(p,α)20Ne. Precise data are still needed to constrain the production of Ne-Na isotopes and assess their impact on the relevant astrophysical sites.
The 20Ne(p,γ)21Na and 21Ne(p,γ)22Na reactions have been already studied at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) using a 400 kV accelerator and an extended gas target, while the 23Na(p,α)20Ne reaction is currently ongoing with a new solid target setup.
In this talk I will present the experimental details and results from the gas target experiments, their impact on the NeNa cycle, and some updates on the 23Na(p,α)20Ne campaign.
Hosted by Prof. Wiescher