Laboratory Underground for Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA)

Deep underground in the Gran Sasso national laboratory in Italy, the 400 kV LUNA accelerator supplying up to 0.5 mA H+ and He+ beams has been installed. Due to the 3400 meters (water equivalent) overburden present at Gran Sasso, the cosmic-ray induced laboratory background in gamma-ray detectors is strongly reduced at LUNA. The accelerator is being used for the study of radiative-capture reactions of astrophysical interest, both by in-beam gamma-ray spectrometry and by activation. The features of the site and accelerator will be shown on the poster; some applications and a future outlook will also be presented.