Measurement of $d{+}^7$Be cross sections for Big-Bang nucleosynthesis

Abstract

The cross sections of nuclear reactions between the radioisotope ${}^7$Be and deuterium, a possible mechanism of reducing the production of mass-7 nuclides in Big-Bang nucleosynthesis, were measured at center-of-mass energies between 0.2 MeV and 1.5 MeV. The measured cross sections are dominated by the $(d,\alpha )$ reaction channel, towards which prior experiments were mostly insensitive. A new resonance at 0.36(5)~MeV with a strength of $\omega \gamma$ = 1.7(5)~keV was observed inside the relevant Gamow window. Calculations of nucleosynthesis outcomes based on the experimental cross section show that the resonance reduces the predicted abundance of primordial ${}^7$Li, but not sufficiently to solve the primordial lithium problem.

6 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (4)

• The Primordial Lithium Problem
• Primordial nucleosynthesis
• Resonant Destruction as a Possible Solution to the Cosmological Lithium Problem
• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis with Stable ${}^8$Be and the Primordial Lithium Problem

Cited by in corpus (8)

• A new tension in the cosmological model from primordial deuterium?
• Thermonuclear reaction rates and primordial nucleosynthesis
• Screening corrections to Electron Capture Rates and resulting constraints on Primordial Magnetic Fields
• Resonance excitations in ${}^7$Be(d,p)${}^8$Be${}^{\ast }$ to address the cosmological lithium problem
• New Thermonuclear Rate of 7Li(d,n)24He relevant to the Cosmological Lithium Problem
• Progress in Nuclear Astrophysics of East and Southeast Asia
• Cosmological Parameter Estimation with a Joint-Likelihood Analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Study of the ${}^7$Be($d$,${}^3$He)${}^6$Li* reaction at 5 MeV/u