The 10B(p,α)7Be S(E)-factor from 5 keV to 1.5 MeV using the Trojan Horse Method

The 10 B(p, α ) 7 Be reaction is the main responsible for the 10 B destruction in stellar interior [1]. In such environments this p-capture process occurs at a Gamow energy of 10 keV and takes places mainly through a resonant state (Ex = 8.701 MeV) of the compound 11 C nucleus. Thus a resonance right in the region of the Gamow peak is expected to significantly influence the behavior of the astrophysical S(E)-factor. The 10 B(p, α ) 7 Be reaction was studied via the Trojan Horse Method (THM) applied to the 2 H( 10 B, α 7 Be)n in order to extract the astrophysical S(E)-factor in a wide energy range from 5 keV to 1.5 MeV

NURE: An ERC project to study nuclear reactions for neutrinoless double beta decay

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is considered the best potential resource to access the absolute neutrino mass scale. Moreover, if observed, it will signal that neutrinos are their own anti-particles (Majorana particles). Presently, this physics case is one of the most important research “beyond Standard Model” and might guide the way towards a Grand Unified Theory of fundamental interactions. Since the 0νββ decay process involves nuclei, its analysis necessarily implies nuclear structure issues. In the NURE project, supported by a Starting Grant of the European Research Council (ERC), nuclear reactions of double charge-exchange (DCE) are used as a tool to extract information on the 0νββ Nuclear Matrix Elements. In DCE reactions and ββ decay indeed the initial and final nuclear states are the same and the transition operators have similar structure. Thus the measurement of the DCE absolute cross-sections can give crucial information on ββ matrix elements. In a wider view, the NUMEN international collaboration plans a major upgrade of the INFN-LNS facilities in the next years in order to increase the experimental production of nuclei of at least two orders of magnitude, thus making feasible a systematic study of all the cases of interest as candidates for 0νββ

Solid state approach in biophoton research

431-439<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-IN">Main characteristics of the delayed luminescence (DL) emitted in the seconds range from biological systems is analyzed. The correlation between change in DL and cell's organization, and similarity with some characteristics of DL from solid state system suggest to connect DL in biological system to decay of collective electron states formed during energy and charge transport along the macromolecular ordered structures which form the cell. Results of a proposed soliton model are discussed, together with some phenomenological evidence which emphasize the possibility of using DL measurements as an intrinsic probe in biophysical investigations.</span

Nanostructured surfaces for nuclear astrophysics studies in laser-plasmas

The future availability of high-intensity laser facilities capable of delivering tens of petawatts of power (e.g. ELI-NP) into small volumes of matter at high repetition rates will give the unique opportunity to investigate nuclear reactions and fundamental interactions process under extreme plasma conditions [1]. In this context, use of targets with nanostructured surfaces is giving promising indications to reproduce plasma conditions suitable for measurements of thermonuclear reactions rates, in the domain of nanosecond laser pulses

Nanostructured surfaces for nuclear astrophysics studies in laser-plasmas

The future availability of high-intensity laser facilities capable of delivering tens of petawatts of power (e.g. ELI-NP) into small volumes of matter at high repetition rates will give the unique opportunity to investigate nuclear reactions and fundamental interactions process under extreme plasma conditions [1]. In this context, use of targets with nanostructured surfaces is giving promising indications to reproduce plasma conditions suitable for measurements of thermonuclear reactions rates, in the domain of nanosecond laser pulses

Detector Response to D-D Neutrons and Stability Measurements with 4H Silicon Carbide Detectors

The use of wide-band-gap solid-state neutron detectors is expanding in environments where a compact size and high radiation hardness are needed, such as spallation neutron sources and next-generation fusion machines. Silicon carbide is a very promising material for use as a neutron detector in these fields because of its high resistance to radiation, fast response time, stability and good energy resolution. In this paper, measurements were performed with neutrons from the ISIS spallation source with two different silicon carbide detectors together with stability measurements performed in a laboratory under alpha-particle irradiation for one week. Some consideration to the impact of the casing of the detector on the detector’s counting rate is given. In addition, the detector response to Deuterium-Deuterium (D-D) fusion neutrons is described by comparing neutron measurements at the Frascati Neutron Generator with a GEANT4 simulation. The good stability measurements and the assessment of the detector response function indicate that such a detector can be used as both a neutron counter and spectrometer for 2–4 MeV neutrons. Furthermore, the absence of polarization effects during neutron and alpha irradiation makes silicon carbide an interesting alternative to diamond detectors for fast neutron detection