In-Cathode Activations for ⁴¹Ca Production Cross Section Measurements

⁴¹Ca (t_1/2 = 9.94 x 10⁴ yrs) is an important stellar radionuclide and its production in the early Solar System can help determine the viability of models of early stellar processes. Information on the production of ⁴¹Ca is limited, as several production cross sections have minimal or no experimental data. A novel reaction technique has been under development and recently tested at the Nuclear Science Lab at the University of Notre Dame. This technique utilizes an in-cathode reaction method, which means that natural Ca material is pre-packed into an ion source sample holder (cathode) before being irradiated. The activated sample is then placed directly into the ion source to be sputtered and its concentration of ⁴¹Ca/^natCa  is measured using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. This method bypasses the chemistry steps that would be necessary with other reaction activation techniques. We will report our initial findings and the viability of this method using the reaction ⁴⁰Ca(³He, 2p)⁴¹Ca, and compare total cross section measurements, at various energies, with previous experimental cross section data and TALYS predictions.