AbstractThe $$^{27}\hbox {Al}(\hbox {p},\alpha )^{24}\hbox {Mg}$$
27
Al
(
p
,
α
)
24
Mg
reaction, which drives the destruction of $$^{27}$$
27
Al and the production of $$^{24}\hbox {Mg}$$
24
Mg
in stellar hydrogen burning, has been investigated via the Trojan Horse Method (THM), by measuring the $$^2\hbox {H}(^{27}\hbox {Al},\alpha ^{24}\hbox {Mg})\hbox {n}$$
2
H
(
27
Al
,
α
24
Mg
)
n
three-body reaction. The experiment covered a broad energy range ($$E_\mathrm{c.m.}\le \,1.5\,\hbox {MeV}$$
E
c
.
m
.
≤
1.5
MeV
), aiming to investigate those of interest for astrophysics. The results confirm the THM as a valuable technique for the experimental study of fusion reactions at very low energies and suggest the presence of a rich pattern of resonances in the energy region close to the Gamow window of stellar hydrogen burning (70–120 keV), with potential impact on astrophysics. To estimate such an impact a second run of the experiment is needed, since the background due the three-body reaction hampered to collect enough data to resolve the resonant structures and extract the reaction rate.
The Trojan Horse Method as a tool for investigating astrophysically relevant fusion reactions