Astrophysical radiative capture reaction rates in light nuclei: a review of results from the modified potential cluster model

A review of results obtained within a single theoretical framework—the Modified Potential Cluster Model (MPCM)—is presented for astrophysical radiative capture reactions involving the lightest and 1 p -shell nuclei. The approach has been applied to reactions relevant to the r -process, the CNO and HCNO cycles, and parts of the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and post-BBN scenarios. The model incorporates the classification of orbital states according to Young’s diagrams and has been successfully applied to describe the available experimental data on the total cross sections of the radiative capture of neutrons, protons, and the lightest clusters by 40 light nuclei at astrophysical energies. Based on theoretical cross sections consistent with available experimental data, the reaction rates for these capture processes have been calculated in the temperature range 0.01 ≤ T 9 ≤ 10 , and analytical parameterizations of these rates have been obtained. Reaction rates for neutron capture on 16 light nuclei— 2 H, 6−8 Li, 9,10 Be, 10–13 B, 12-14 С, 14,15 N, and 16 O—are presented. In addition, reaction rates and their parameterizations for proton and lightest-cluster capture by 24 light nuclei—p 2 H, p 3 H, p 6−8 Li, p 7,9 Be, p 10,11 B, p 11-14 C, p 12-15 N, p 16 O, 3 H 2 H, 3 He 2 H, 3 H 3 He, 2 H 4 He, 3 He 4 He, and 3 H 4 He—obtained in our previous studies are also presented.