Assessing the near threshold cross section of the 17O(n,α)14C reaction by means of the Trojan horse method.

The study of the 17O(n,α)14C reaction has been performed by means of the Trojan horse method (THM) applied to the quasifree 2H(17O,α14C)¹H reaction induced at a beam energy of 43.5 MeV. The THM allowed us to study the 8121-keV 18O* resonant level, for which the previous THM investigation pointed out the ability of the method to overcome the centrifugal barrier suppression effects in the entrance channel. Here, in view of the developments of the method for resonant reactions, the detailed analysis of the performed experiment will be discussed, focusing on the extraction of the 8121-keV resonance strength for which no information is present in scientific literature. Moreover, the experimental results clearly show the excitation of the subthreshold level centered at -6 keV in the center-of-mass system, which is fundamental to determine the 17O(n,α)14C reaction rate of astrophysical interest. Finally, a new recommended reaction rate is presented for future astrophysical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]