Constraining modeling of the ³He+³He six-nucleon system using data from high energy density plasma experiments at the OMEGA laser

High-Energy-Density (HED) plasma experiments are used to study the ³He+³He reaction in conditions closely mimicking an astrophysical environment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and OMEGA lasers.^1,2,3 These efforts provide a complement to more traditional accelerator experiments. Recently, new diagnostic technology has allowed the ³He³He proton spectrum from implosions at the OMEGA laser to be measured down to 2.5 MeV proton energy for the first time, at a center-of-mass energy E_cm~165 keV. The new spectra are contrasted to R-matrix models of the ³He³He proton spectrum³ constrained using data from the T+T reaction, and found to favor a model constrained by T+T data obtained at E_cm=160 keV⁴ over a model constrained by T+T data obtained at E_cm=16 keV⁵. The new broad-band proton spectra will be used to constrain state-of-the-art modeling of the ³He+³He six-nucleon system.

[1] Gatu Johnson et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 041407 (2017).

[2] Gatu Johnson et al., Phys. Plasmas 25, 056303 (2018).

[3] Zylstra et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 222701 (2017).

[4] Wong et al., Nucl. Phys. 71, 106 (1965).

[5] Sayre et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 052501 (2013).