Studies in Nuclear Structure and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Using Proton Beams

Abstract

The use of light-ions in nuclear research has multiple applications. Capture reactions of low energy protons on different targets are one of the major tools for studies in nuclear astrophysics. On the other hand, inelastic scattering of protons provides valuable information about structures of low-lying excited states in nuclei. Light-ion induced reactions are also most important means for studying the fundamental aspects of nucleonnucleon interaction. It is a paradigm in nuclear physics research that the last four decades has witnessed predominance of heavy ion induced reactions. This has led to decline in low energy light ion facility. However, the phenomenal improvements in modern radiation detectors and associated techniques make it imperative to revisit light-ion induced reactions. The present thesis work aims to study two different protoninduced reactions namely, inelastic scattering of protons on C nucleus and radiative capture of proton by deuteron which are of fundamental importance for nuclear structure and for nuclear astrophysics, respectively. Studies of radiative capture of proton by deuteron d(p,γ)He is a reaction of great significance both in nuclear astrophysics and fewbody nuclear physics. There are mainly three different scenarios in which the depletion or production of helium can take place via d(p,γ)He reaction, namely, the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), production in low-mass protostars, and production in low to medium mass stars like our sun[1, 2]. From experimental standpoint, the beam energy for this reaction is varied over a wide range depending upon the exact nature of the problem one is interested in. In very low energy region, say, from 2.5 keV to 30 keV sufficient data are available covering