Measurement of the 2H(d, p)3H reaction at astrophysical energies via the Trojan-horse method

The study of the 2H(d,p)3H reaction is very important for the nucleosynthesis in both the standard Big Bang and stellar evolution, as well as for the future fusion reactor’s planning of energy production. The 2H(d,p)3H bare nucleus astrophysical S(E) factor has been measured indirectly at energies from about 400 keV down to several keV by means of the Trojan-horse method applied to the quasifree process 2H(6Li,pt )4He induced at a lithium beam energy of 9.5 MeV, which is closer to the zero-quasifree-energy point. An accurate analysis leads to the determination of the Sbare(0) = 56.7 ± 2.0 keV b and of the corresponding electron screening potential Ue = 13.2 ± 4.3 eV. In addition, this work gives an updated test for the Trojan-horse nucleus invariance by comparing with previous indirect investigations using the 3He = (d + p) breakup.