On the magnitude of the 8Li + 4He → 11B + n reaction cross section at the Big-Bang temperature

Abstract

The 8Li + 4He → 11B + n reaction at Ecm < 2 MeV is a process of relevant astrophysical interest for which a remarkable experimental discrepancy between inclusive and exclusive cross-section measurements exists. In this Letter, a new inclusive neutron measurement at Ecm = 1.05 ± 0.16 MeV is given. The radioactive 8Li beam was delivered by the EXCYT facility. The cross section was determined by a low-background measurement of the time correlation between the 8Li projectile arrival to the target and the following neutron capture in a threshold-less 4π thermalization counter. This new data strengthens the reliability of the previous inclusive reaction cross-section data and altogether are consistent with a significant population of 11B levels at high excitation energy. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.