Experimentelle Nukleare Astrophysik über Tage und tief unter Tage im Gran-Sasso-Labor (Italien)

New and precise astronomical observations call for nuclear data of equal precision for their interpretation. This will permit a better understanding of big-bang nucleosynthesis and of asymptotic giant branch stars.

Based on the recent experimental study of the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be nuclear reaction directly in the energy range of big-bang nucleosynthesis, a new experiment to study the 2H(alpha,gamma)6Li reaction at big-bang energies is proposed. The new data will allow to test a possible nuclear solution to the big-bang Li-6 posed by new observations of Li-6 in very old stars.

The 15N(p,alpha)12C reaction is an important source of uncertainty in the prediction of the F-19 yield observed in asymptotic giant branch stars. Based on angular distribution measurements performed at TU Berlin, the potential of a new precision cross section measurement is evaluated.