Underground measurement at LUNA found no evidence for a low-energy resonance in the ⁶Li(p, γ)⁷Be reaction

Abstract

The 6Li(p,γ)7Be reaction is involved in all three main nucleosynthesis scenarios: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the interaction of cosmic rays with interstellar matter, and stellar nucleosynthesis. Conflicting experimental results have been reported in literature for the 6Li(p,γ)7Be reaction cross section trend at astrophysical energies. A recent direct measurement found a resonance-like structure at Ec.m. = 195 keV, corresponding to an excited state at Ex ~ 5800 keV in 7Be which, however, has not been confirmed by either theoretical calculations or other direct measurements. In order to clarify the existence of this resonance, a new experiment was performed at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics, located deep underground at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy). The 6Li(p,γ)7Be cross section was measured in the energy range Ec.m. = 60-350 keV with unprecedented sensitivity and no evidence for the alleged resonance was found.