Globular Clusters (GCs) were among the first structures to form in the galaxy and are important for understanding galactic evolution. Within each studied cluster, there exists a measurable oxygen-sodium (O-Na) anticorrelation. Although the exact mechanisms by which this becomes present are still unclear, the neon-sodium (NeNa) cycle has been suggested to contribute to this anomaly in intermediate-mass, thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars within the GC. The first and least understood reaction in this cycle is 20Ne(p,γ)21Na. This reaction sets the rate at which the rest of the cycle continues and can impact the O-Na abundances. However, the γ-rays emitted in the reaction have energies that lie directly within the environmental background. Therefore, to improve cross section measurements for this reaction, a position-sensitive, planar Ge detector is currently being developed at the Low Energy Nuclear Astrophysics 2 facility to significantly reduce background events within the experiment.

Investigating the O-Na anticorrelation through 20Ne(p,γ)21Na at LENA2

ACS Fall 2021

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