Cross-section Measurement of the Cosmologically Relevant 7Be(n, α)4He Reaction over a Broad Energy Range in a Single Experiment

Abstract

Studying interactions of radioactive ions with neutrons is particularly demanding and has been performed only in a few cases. Some of these interactions are crucial in several astrophysical contexts. In the present work, the case of the 7Be destruction induced by the (n, α) reaction is investigated at the energies typical of the primordial nucleosynthesis by means of the Trojan Horse Method applied to the 2H(7Be, αα)p quasi-free reaction. The 7Be(n, α)4He cross-section has been measured in a single experiment from ∼2 MeV down to cosmological energies. The corresponding deduced reaction rate has been adopted to evaluate the impact on big bang nucleosynthesis and on the lithium problem.