RUI: Study of 14N and 25Mg Proton Capture Reactions

Ashland University, Ashland OH

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal supports participation of the PI and undergraduate students in research conducted at the Low Energy Nuclear Accelerator laboratory (LENA). The main focus of these measurements will be low energy p-gamma reactions of astrophysical interest. Since many measurements of astrophysical interest involve very low counting rates and large backgrounds, computational routines will be used to aid in the design of a detector for LENA which maximizes efficiency and minimizes background. The proposal will also support participation of the PI and undergraduate students in data collection and analysis for experiments done at LENA. The first proposed experiments after completion of the laboratory are, 14-Nitrogen (p-gamma) 15-Oxygen with results expected to reduce the uncertainty in S(0), and 25-Magnesim (p-gamma) 26-Aluminum addressing reaction rates for low-lying resonances corresponding to lower stellar temperatures.