Hydrogen burning: Study of the 22Ne(p,gamma)23Na, 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be and 7Be(p, gamma)8B reactions at ultra-low energies

The neon-sodium cycle (NeNa cycle) of hydrogen burning is active in stars of the Asymptotic Giant Branch, in classical novae, and in supernovae of type Ia. The thermonuclear reaction rate of the 22Ne(p,γ)23Na reaction is determined by a large number of resonances, and it represents the most uncertain rate in the NeNa cycle. This PhD thesis reports on an experiment to study tentative 22Ne(p,γ)23Na resonances at Elab = 71 and 105 keV, as well as the direct capture component of the reaction rate for Elab ≤ 400 keV. The measurements were performed deep underground at the Laboratory for Un- derground Nuclear Astrophysics - LUNA (Gran Sasso, Italy), taking advantage of the strong reduction in the cosmic ray induced background. The LUNA-400-kV electrostatic accelerator and a differentially pumped, windowless gas target of iso- topically enriched 22Ne gas were used. The γ-rays from the reaction were detected with a 4π bismuth germanate scintillator. The data show upper limits on the strengths of the resonances at Elab = 71 and 105 keV of 5.8 × 10−11 and 7.0 × 10−11 eV respectively. The resonances at Elab = 156.2, 189.5 and 259.7 keV have been re-studied and show 20% higher strength than the literature. The present experiment did not show any evidence for the direct capture process at the low energies studied. In addition to the experimental work at LUNA, the 3He(α, γ)7Be and 7Be(p, γ)8B reactions were studied using the most recent solar neutrino data available. Based on the standard solar model and the experimentally measured fluxes of solar 7Be and 8B neutrinos, the astrophysical S-factors of both reactions were evaluated directly in the solar Gamow peak.