Measuring α-induced reactions using a Multi-Sampling Ionization Chamber

Abstract:  There are numerous reaction rates involving α-particles that play a key role in nuclear astrophysics. For example, some (α,p) reactions have been found to be fundamental for the understanding of X-ray bursts and the production of 44Ti in core-collapse supernovae. Also, some (α,n) reactions are considered to be important neutron sources in different astrophysical scenarios. Direct measurements of these reactions at relevant astrophysical energies are experimentally challenging because of their small cross sections and the intensity limitation of radioactive beams. In this talk I will describe a novel technique to study (α,p) and (α,n) reactions using a Multi-Sampling Ionization Chamber (MUSIC), an active target system with a segmented anode that allows the investigation of a large energy range of the excitation function with a single beam energy. Recent results on the direct measurement of (α,n) and (α,p) measurements in the MUSIC detector will be presented.