Eur. Phys. J. A (2025) 61: 191
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-025-01658-7

Regular Article - Experimental Physics

Towards a comprehensive study of the $_{}^{14}$N(p,$\gamma$)$_{}^{15}$O astrophysical key reaction: Description of the experimental technique including novel target preparation

¹ Gran Sasso Science Institute, Viale F. Crispi 7, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy
² Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Via G. Acitelli 22, 67100, Assergi, Italy
³ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
⁴ Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Viale dell’Università 2, 35020, Legnaro, (PD), Italy
⁵ LIBPhys, LA-REAL, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, NOVA FCT, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
⁶ SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, EH9 3FD, Edinburgh, UK
⁷ Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Dipartimento di Fisica “E. Pancini”, Via Cintia 21, 80126, Naples, Italy
⁸ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli, Via Cintia 21, 80126, Naples, Italy
⁹ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
¹⁰ Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via G. Amendola 173, 70126, Bari, Italy
¹¹ Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
¹² Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Via F. Marzolo 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
¹³ Università degli Studi di Padova, Via F. Marzolo 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
¹⁴ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genoa, Italy
¹⁵ Università degli Studi di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genoa, Italy
¹⁶ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
¹⁷ Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
¹⁸ HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI), PO Box 51, 4001, Debrecen, Hungary
¹⁹ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 16, 20133, Milan, Italy
²⁰ Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Konkoly Thege Miklós út 15-17, 1121, Budapest, Hungary
²¹ Institute of Physics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
²² School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH, Guildford, UK
²³ INAF Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo, Via Mentore Maggini, 64100, Teramo, Italy

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Received: 10 April 2025
Accepted: 31 July 2025
Published online: 15 August 2025

Abstract

While the $_{}^{14}$N(p,$\gamma$)$_{}^{15}$O reaction plays a key role in the hydrogen-burning processes in various stellar conditions, its reaction rate is not known with sufficient precision. Therefore, the first scientific project at the recently launched Bellotti Ion Beam Facility of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso was the measurement of the $_{}^{14}$N(p,$\gamma$)$_{}^{15}$O reaction cross section in the proton energy range between 250 and 1500 keV. In this paper, the experimental techniques are summarized with special emphasis on the description of solid state nitrogen target production and characterization. The first results of the reaction yield measured at 55$_{}^{\circ }$ detection angle are also presented.