Searching for resonances in the unbound $^{6}$Be nucleus

Knowledge of the $^{3}$He($^{3}$He,2p)$^{4}$He reaction is important for understanding stellar burning and solar neutrino production. Previous measurements have found a surprisingly large rise in the cross section at low energies that could be due to a low energy resonance in the $^{3}$He+$^{3}$He system or electron screening. In the $^{6}$Be nucleus, however, no excited states have been observed above the first 2$^{+}$ state at E$_{x}$ = 1.67 MeV up to 23 MeV, even though several are expected. The d($^{7}$Be,t)$^{6}$Be reaction has been studied for the first time to search for resonances in the $^{6}$Be nucleus using radioactive $^{7}$Be beam at the ORNL Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. Details of the experiment and a report of the current stage of the analysis will be presented.