Be(n,) and Be(n,p) cross-section measurement for the cosmological lithium problem at the n_TOF facility at CERN

Barbagallo, M.*; Colonna, N.*; Aberle, O.*; Harada, Hideo   ; Kimura, Atsushi   ; n_TOF Collaboration*; 125 of others*

The Cosmological Lithium Problem refers to the large discrepancy between the abundance of primordial Li predicted by the standard theory of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the value inferred from the so-called "Spite plateau" in halo stars. A possible explanation for this longstanding puzzle in Nuclear Astrophysics is related to the incorrect estimation of the destruction rate of Be, which is responsible for the production of 95% of primordial Lithium. While charged-particle induced reactions have mostly been ruled out, data on the Be(n,) and Be(n,p) reactions are scarce or completely missing, so that a large uncertainty still affects the abundance of Li predicted by the standard theory of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. Both reactions have been measured at the n_TOF facility at CERN, providing for the first time data in a wide neutron energy range.