Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics XII (NPA-XII)

Probing Stellar Evolution and Fundamental Symmetries via Indirect Methods: The Trojan Horse Approach

Not scheduled

30m

Cluj-Napoca, Babeş – Bolyai University

Speaker

Prof. A. Tumino (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud INFN, Catania, Italy)

Description

This contribution highlights the use of indirect nuclear techniques, specifically the Trojan Horse Method (THM) [1,2], to determine stellar reaction rates that are otherwise inaccessible via direct measurements. The presentation will focus on recent results regarding carbon burning fusion ($^{12}$C+$^{12}$C and $^{12}$C+$^{16}$O), where the study of alpha and proton evaporation channels has revealed resonant structures that significantly enhance reaction rates at astrophysical temperatures. Furthermore, I will discuss the interdisciplinary application of these methods to probe the charge symmetry breaking of nuclear force through the measurement of the Coulomb-free proton-proton scattering length. These results underscore the power of indirect approaches in addressing both the mechanisms of stellar evolution and the underlying properties of nuclear interactions.

[1] A. Tumino, C.A. Bertulani, M. La Cognata, L. Lamia, R.G. Pizzone, S. Romano and S. Typel, Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science 71, (2021) 033642
[2] A. Tumino et al., Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics 143 (2025) 104164