Speaker
Description
The LUNA collaboration has recently completed the measurement of the $D(p,γ)^3He$ cross section at Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) energies with unprecedented precision. The study of this deuterium-burning process provides a precise determination of the universal baryon density $\Omega_b$, in excellent agreement with the value derived from CMB. The new data also provide a stringent constrain the possible existence of "dark radiation", i.e. the existence of relativistic particles not foreseen in the standard model, such as sterile neutrinos or hot axions [1]. Finally, the LUNA measurement provides an important experimental footing for ab-initio calculations [3,4]. The implications in cosmology and particle physics are discussed in this talk. It will be also shown the good agreement of data with respect to recent ab-initio calculations concerning the total and differential $D(p,γ)^3He$ cross section.
[1] V. Mossa. et al.:
"The baryon density of the Universe from an improved rate of deuterium burning".
NATURE 587, 210 (2020).
[2] E. Di Valentino et al.:
"Probing nuclear rates with Planck and BICEP2".
arXiv:1910.10459v1 [nucl-ex] (23 October 2019).
[3] Pisa theoretical group:
“Differential cross section of the $^2H(p,\gamma)^3He$ using a chiral effective field theory approach”
(in preparation)
[4] LUNA Collaboration:
“Measurement of the Differential cross section of the $^2H(p,\gamma)^3He$ at $32 \le E_{cm}[keV] \le 263$”
(in preparation)