Low energy study of ²⁰Ne+²⁴Mg fusion to understand the crustal heating in the accreting neutron stars

Pycnonuclear reactions occur in a highly dense matter when nuclei are frozen in lattice structures. One such site is the crust of accreting neutron stars where the pycnonuclear burning is a potential heat source.  Fusion of Ne and Mg are among the most important pycnonuclear reactions in neutron star crusts. In the absence of any fusion data in this mass region, theoretical predictions at very low energies are highly sensitive to extrapolation. Therefore, measurements below the barrier are required to constrain the extrapolation and distinguish between various theoretical model predictions. We will present the first results of the ²⁰Ne+²⁴Mg fusion cross-sections measured using newly commissioned active target ND-CUBE at the University of Notre Dame. Implications of new results for the pycnonuclear burning as a heat source in the neutron star crust will be discussed.