Nuclear Physics Seminar

The study of astrophysically relevant nuclear reactions between stable nuclei requires high-intensity, high-resolution beams and extremely low-background environments. Such conditions are uniquely provided by underground accelerator laboratories, where the cosmic-ray–induced background is reduced by several orders of magnitude. This suppression allows us to measure reaction cross sections directly at, or very close to, the energies at which they occur in stellar interiors.
The underground facilities started almost 30 years ago with the pioneering work of LUNA at Gran Sasso, Italy. In the last years a new generation of underground accelerators is extending this approach toward higher energies and several experimental setups. Among them, the Felsenkeller laboratory in Dresden combines a 5 MV accelerator with a low-background environment and state of the art detection systems, offering unique opportunities to explore the fusion processes that power the stars.

This talk will shortly introduce the underground nuclear astrophysics and present recent results from the Felsenkeller laboratory.