Direct and Indirect Measurements of the 19F(p,α)16O Reaction at Astrophysical Energies Using the LHASA Detector and the Trojan Horse Method

Fluorine is one of the most interesting elements in nuclear astrophysics. Its abundance can provide important hints to constrain the stellar models since fluorine production and destruction are strictly connected to the physical conditions inside the stars. The F-19(p,alpha)O-16 reaction is one of the fluorine burning processes and the correction evaluation of its reaction rate is of pivotal importance to evaluate the fluorine abundance. Moreover, the F-19(p,alpha)O-16 reaction rate can have an impact for the production of calcium in the first-generation of Population III stars. Here, we present the AsFiN collaboration efforts to the study of the F-19(p,alpha)O-16 reaction by means of direct and indirect measurements. On the direct measurements side, an experimental campaign aimed to the measurement of the(19)F(p,alpha(0),pi)O-16 reaction is ongoing, taking advantage of the new versatile arrays of silicon strip detectors, LHASA and ELISSA. Moreover, the Trojan Horse Method (THM) was used to determine the (FF)-F-19(p,alpha(0))O-16 reaction S(E)-factor in the energy range of astrophysical interest (E-cm approximate to 0-1 MeV), showing, for the first time, the presence of resonant structures within the astrophysical energy range. THM has been also applied for the study of the F-19(p,alpha pi)O-16 reaction; data analysis is ongoing.