A high energy resolution gas target setup to study selected NeNa cycle reactions

The neon-sodium cycle of hydrogen burning occurs in several astrophysical sites, such as asymptotic giant branch stars and novae, affecting the production of neon and sodium isotopes. To enhance the accuracy of predicted nucleosynthesis yields, there is a pressing need for new experimental investigations of the cross sections of the reactions involved in this cycle at energies relevant to astrophysics. The 400 kV accelerator at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) provides a unique advantage relative to above-ground laboratories thanks to its deep underground location within the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (INFN-LNGS) in Italy. We performed experiments at LUNA on two of the reactions of the NeNa cycle: $$^{20}$$ Ne(p, $$\gamma )^{21}$$ Na and $$^{21}$$ Ne(p, $$\gamma )^{22}$$ Na using a high-purity gas target system for isotopically enriched gases coupled with two high-resolution germanium detectors, surrounded by copper and lead shielding to further reduce the natural background at LUNA. We describe the detailed characterization of the experimental setup performed through Monte Carlo simulations, and the method for the precise determination of resonance energies, giving improved values of $$E_{\textrm{r}}$$ = 127.3 ± 0.5 keV, 271.4 ± 0.4 keV, 272.3 ± 0.4 keV, 291.5 ± 0.5 keV and 352.6 ± 0.4 keV. Additionally, decay branching ratios for the $$E_{\textrm{x}}$$ = 7016.4 keV excited state in $$^{22}$$ Na, and three new transitions ( $$\textrm{R} \rightarrow 4770$$ keV, $$\textrm{R}\rightarrow 3059.4$$ keV and $$\textrm{R}\rightarrow 583.05$$ keV) in the $$E_{\textrm{r}}$$ = 291.5 keV resonance, are also reported.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
The European Physical Journal A
Published
2025-03-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-025-01512-w
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Nuclear reactor physics and engineering
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.99

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

A high energy resolution gas target setup to study selected NeNa cycle reactions

F. Ferraro, G. Gervino, L. Csedreki, C. Gustavino et al.
2 citations
The European Physical Journal A
Nuclear reactor physics and engineering
9.99
article

A high energy resolution gas target setup to study selected NeNa cycle reactions

F. Ferraro, G. Gervino, L. Csedreki, C. Gustavino, L. Schiavulli, D. Mercogliano, R. S. Sidhu, A. Boeltzig, S. Zavatarelli, P. Colombetti, D. Rapagnani, P. Corvisiero, R. Menegazzo, Z. Elekes, D. Piatti, C. Ananna, M. Junker, G. F. Ciani, O. Straniero, D. Bemmerer, J. Marsh, Fausto Casaburo, Maria Lugaro, G. Imbriani, T. Szücs, D. Robb, E. Masha, P. Prati, Andreas Best, A. Compagnucci, F. Cavanna, C. Broggini, A. Caciolli, Antonino Di Leva, Gy. Gyürky, J. Skowronski, Paola Marigo, A. Guglielmetti, A. Formicola, V. Paticchio, M. Aliotta, Matteo Campostrini, C. G. Bruno, Riccardo Maria Gesuè, D. Dell’Aquila, R. Depalo, L. Barbieri, V. Rigato, F. Barile, Zs. Fülöp, T. Davinson
article en
2 citations

Abstract

The neon-sodium cycle of hydrogen burning occurs in several astrophysical sites, such as asymptotic giant branch stars and novae, affecting the production of neon and sodium isotopes. To enhance the accuracy of predicted nucleosynthesis yields, there is a pressing need for new experimental investigations of the cross sections of the reactions involved in this cycle at energies relevant to astrophysics. The 400 kV accelerator at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) provides a unique advantage relative to above-ground laboratories thanks to its deep underground location within the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (INFN-LNGS) in Italy. We performed experiments at LUNA on two of the reactions of the NeNa cycle: $$^{20}$$ Ne(p, $$\gamma )^{21}$$ Na and $$^{21}$$ Ne(p, $$\gamma )^{22}$$ Na using a high-purity gas target system for isotopically enriched gases coupled with two high-resolution germanium detectors, surrounded by copper and lead shielding to further reduce the natural background at LUNA. We describe the detailed characterization of the experimental setup performed through Monte Carlo simulations, and the method for the precise determination of resonance energies, giving improved values of $$E_{\textrm{r}}$$ = 127.3 ± 0.5 keV, 271.4 ± 0.4 keV, 272.3 ± 0.4 keV, 291.5 ± 0.5 keV and 352.6 ± 0.4 keV. Additionally, decay branching ratios for the $$E_{\textrm{x}}$$ = 7016.4 keV excited state in $$^{22}$$ Na, and three new transitions ( $$\textrm{R} \rightarrow 4770$$ keV, $$\textrm{R}\rightarrow 3059.4$$ keV and $$\textrm{R}\rightarrow 583.05$$ keV) in the $$E_{\textrm{r}}$$ = 291.5 keV resonance, are also reported.

The European Physical Journal AVol. 61(3)
University of Debrecen (HU), University of Padua (IT), University of Milan (IT), HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (HU), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (IT), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (DE), Konkoly Observatory (HU), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari (IT), Collurania Teramo Observatory (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano (IT), Gran Sasso Science Institute (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma I (IT), University of Turin (IT), University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT), University of Naples Federico II (IT), University of Genoa (IT), University of Edinburgh (GB)
European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, Helmholtz Association, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Nuclear reactor physics and engineering
9.99
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.