Speaker
Description
The reaction ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}(\alpha,\gamma){}^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ is associated with several questions in nuclear astrophysics, such as the Mg isotope ratio in stellar atmospheres and the nucleosynthesis of elements beyond Fe through its competition with the neutron source ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}(\alpha,n){}^{25}\mathrm{Mg}$.
Due to the low stellar energies and therefore very low cross section, direct experiments have been only able to provide upper limits below a strong resonance at $832\,\mathrm{keV}$.
The purpose of the EAS$\gamma$ project is to perform the first direct measurement of the ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}(\alpha,\gamma){}^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$ in the range of astrophysical interest below $600-800\,\mathrm{keV}$ and the remeasurement of the important $832\,\mathrm{keV}$ resonance.
The measurement will be performed at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso and will be carried out using a high $\alpha$ particle current delivered by the newly commissioned LUNA MV accelerator.
Moreover, its position underground and additional passive shielding will reduce the $\gamma$-background, drastically increasing the sensitivity over the state of the art. The $\gamma$-rays produced in the reaction will be detected by a NaI scintillator array surrounding a windowless, recirculating gas target.
I will present the current status of the project and the preliminary results of NaI detector array simulation and characterisation.
