LUNA: Present and Future of Nuclear Astrophysics at LNGS featuring Federico Ferraro (LNGS)

Hosted by: Denise Piatti (University of Padova)

The LUNA (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics) experiment is located at the LNGS (Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso) in Italy. LUNA is aimed at studying the nuclear reactions that are responsible for the synthesis of the elements and shape the life of stars in the universe. The reduction of the cosmic-rays induced background provided by the 1400 m thick rock overburden at LNGS allows the direct measurement of the cross section in the energy range relevant to astrophysics.

The LUNA-400 accelerator is in operation since 2001 and is able to produce H+ and He+ beams using a terminal voltage as high as 400 kV with beam currents up to a few hundreds of μA. It was mainly focused on reactions relevant to solar physics and hydrogen burning. The new LUNA-MV accelerator has been recently commissioned. It will provide ion beams of H+, He+, C+ and C++ using a terminal voltage as high as 3.5 MV with comparable beam currents. It will allow the study of nuclear reactions involved in more advanced phases of stellar evolution, responsible for the synthesis of heavy elements.

This seminar will provide an overview of the LUNA experiment, with a focus on the experimental program at the LUNA-MV accelerator, that is part of the new Bellotti Ion Beam Facility of the LNGS.