THE 2H(α, γ)6LI REACTION AT LUNA AND BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHETIS

Abstract

The 2H(α, γ)6Li reaction is the leading process for the production of 6Li in standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. Recent observations of lithium abundance in metal-poor halo stars suggest that there might be a 6Li plateau, similar to the well-known Spite plateau of 7Li. This calls for a re-investigation of the standard production channel for 6Li. As the 2H(α, γ)6Li cross section drops steeply at low energy, it has never before been studied directly at Big Bang energies. For the first time the reaction has been studied directly at Big Bang energies at the LUNA accelerator. The preliminary data and their implications for Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the purported 6Li problem will be shown.