Speaker
Description
The 12C(α, γ)16O reaction plays a pivotal role in nuclear astrophysics research. The direct measurement of this reaction remains particularly challenging due to its extremely low cross section (approximately 10-17 barn at 300 keV) within the Gamow window. This study addresses the critical need for irradiation-resistant 12C-enriched targets to enable accurate measurements. We successfully fabricated a 12C-enriched diamond target on molybdenum substrate through Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPCVD), demonstrating remarkable stability under high-intensity proton beam irradiation. Experimental results revealed only a 1.8% decrease in the 12C(p, γ)13N reaction yield in the 12C layer following proton bombardment at 270 keV with 2 mA beam current and a total accumulated charge of 124.2 C, indicating a significant improvement compared to conventional carbon targets. Isotopic analysis confirmed a 13C/12C ratio of (9.7 ± 1.3) × 10-5, verifying the absence of contamination during MPCVD processing. Additionally, we developed a novel nuclear-reactionbased methodology for quantifying hydrogen content in thin films, establishing an upper limit of 0.058% (95% confidence level) for hydrogen concentration in the diamond target. The combined irradiation resistance and isotopic purity of this target meet the stringent requirements for direct 12C(α, γ)16O reaction measurements in astrophysical environments.
| Research field of your presentation | Experimental Low-energy nuclear physics |
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