Measuring the ⁸⁶Sr(α, α) Cross Section to Constrain the Optical Model

The alpha optical model potential (α-OMP) is a phenomenological approach used to describe elastic scattering. It is a necessary input for the calculation of thermonuclear reaction rates in explosive stellar environments. Uncertainties within the α-OMP lead to imprecise predictions that cannot be easily compared to observations. In order to improve the precision of the α-OMP, additional nuclear physics data is required. For our experiment, the ⁸⁶Sr(α, α) elastic scattering cross sections was measured to determine a local optical potential to predict ⁸⁶Sr(a, n) and ⁸⁶Sr(a, γ) cross sections. Natural and enriched strontium targets were placed inside of a scattering chamber at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory 10 MV tandem accelerator. Collimated silicon surface barrier detectors on two rotating tables were used to detect the α particles . Angular distributions were measured at E_α;Lab = 12,18, and 21 MeV. Results of the experiment and our efforts to constrain the α-OMP parameters will be discussed.