Speaker
Description
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) describes the formation of the light elements during the first minutes of the Universe and provides one of the earliest tests of the standard cosmological model. Together with observations of primordial element abundances, nuclear reaction data and theoretical calculations, BBN provides a unique framework for testing the concordance between cosmology, astronomy, and nuclear astrophysics. In particular, the primordial deuterium abundance enables an independent determination of the cosmic baryon density and constitutes one of the most stringent tests of modern cosmology. Following recent advances in the determination of the 2H(p, γ)3He reaction rate, the 2H(d, p)3H and 2H(d, n)3He reactions now dominate the nuclear uncertainties in BBN calculations. While astronomical observations of primordial deuterium have reached percent-level precision, the nuclear reaction data still has not kept pace. Nuclear physics has thus become the limiting factor in exploiting BBN as a precision probe of cosmology. To address this challenge, the DT neutron generator at Technische Universit¨at Dresden is currently being upgraded from a dedicated 14 MeV neutron source into a multi-purpose accelerator facility for fusion research, neutron activations, and nuclear astrophysics. Its deuteron beam, covering energies from 10 keV to 350 keV, will enable measurements of both deuterium fusion reactions over the entire energy range relevant for BBN. This talk will present an overview of the role of BBN as a multidisciplinary probe of modern cosmology and highlight the new experimental program at the DT neutron generator of TU Dresden.