Measurement of the ^{13}C(α, n_{0})^{16}O Differential Cross Section from 0.8 to 6.5 MeV.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024;
132:062702. [PMID:
38394565 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.132.062702]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
The cross section of the ^{13}C(α,n)^{16}O reaction is needed for nuclear astrophysics and applications to a precision of 10% or better, yet inconsistencies among 50 years of experimental studies currently lead to an uncertainty of ≈15%. Using a state-of-the-art neutron detection array, we have performed a high resolution differential cross section study covering a broad energy range. These measurements result in a dramatic improvement in the extrapolation of the cross section to stellar energies potentially reducing the uncertainty to ≈5% and resolving long standing discrepancies in higher energy data.
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