Precise nuclear reaction data for solar fusion ...and the Felsenkeller laboratory in Dresden

Precise data for the solar neutrino fluxes from the decays of beryllium-7 (5% error) and boron-8 (3% error) have opened a new era for the study of solar fusion. In a stunning reversal, solar neutrino fluxes now have lower uncertainties than solar model inputs. Thus, the logical next step is to bring the relevant laboratory nuclear data to a level of precision matching the neutrino data. The relevant energies are far below the repulsive Coulomb barrier of the interacting nuclei for the case of solar fusion reaction. This leads to very low nuclear reaction cross sections, so that relevant data can only be taken in a low-background environment underground, shielded from cosmic ray background. The talk will review recent progress in the field of solar fusion reactions and give an outlook on future work at the upcoming Felsenkeller underground accelerator lab in Dresden, Germany. At Felsenkeller, in spring 2016 a high-current 5 MV accelerator will be placed in an underground laboratory, where the cosmic ray muon flux is suppressed by a factor of 40. This new laboratory will enable uniquely sensitive experiments to study solar fusion and other astrophysically relevant nuclear reactions.