31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

A Note From the SpokespersonBY PAOLO PRATI

Gree%ngsfromLUNAandwelcometothethirdissueofthisnewsle9er! Theyear2018wasrichofevents.ThenewLUNA-MVacceleratorhasbeenrecentlyassembledatthemanufacturersiteandwillsoonundergoitstes%ngphase.The works for its installa%on deep underground at Gran Sasso have started as well: the structure of the newacceleratorroomisbasicallyfinishedandtheinstalla%onofrelatedplantswillbecompletedinthecomingmonths.Theworkwas intenseat the400kVaccelerator toowithasetofexperimentsdevotedto importantprocessesas13C(α,n)16O;22Ne(α,γ)26Mgand2H(p,γ)3He.Preliminaryupdatesonsomeofthesearereportedinthenewsle9erevenifdataanalysisiss%llunderway.TimeandeffortshavebeenalsodevotedtotechnologicalupgradesofthehistoricalLUNA laboratory. Finally, some of the young researchers of the LUNA Collabora%on have made important stepsforwardintheircareer:toallofthemwarmcongratula%ons!Ihopeyou'llenjoythisnewsle9er!

LUNA NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 2, 2017 LUNA.LNGS.INFN.IT 1

MEMBER’S SPOTLIGHT PAGE 9

JOB OPPORTUNITIES PAGE 11

LUNA NEWSLETTER LABORATORY FOR UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS

NEWS FROM THE LAB PAGE 2

RECENTLY PUBLISHED PAGE 4

Some LUNA Members at the latest LUNA GM in Budapest, January 2019

31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

NEWS FROM THE LABORATORY

Updates on LUNA-MVBY GIANLUCA IMBRIANI

TheLaboratoriNazionalidelGranSasso(INFN)andtheLUNAcollabora%onareworkingtofinalisetheinstalla%onofanewaccelerator,LUNA-MV,bytheendof2019orthebeginningof2020. Theaccelerator,tobeinstalledintheNorthpartof Hall-B at LNGS, is a high-current, light-ion 3.5  MV single-ended machine,developed by High Voltage Engineering (HVE) to meet the stringentrequirements on beam intensity and stability of the LUNA-MV project. Theaccelerator is equipped with a 10  GHz ECR ion source designed to provide intense beams of H+ (~1mA),4He+,12C+and12C2+.Themachineensuresenergystabilitybelow10−5,terminalvoltagerippleof1.5 × 10−5anduninterrupted opera%ons %me greater than 24  h. The in-line Singletron™ accelerator tube has a special voltagegradient design to allow high current beam transport with minimal transmission losses over the en%re terminalvoltagerangeof300 kV–3.5 MV(h"ps://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2018.09.016).Theaccelerator ispresentlyundertes%ngattheHVEfactoryinAmersfoort(TheNetherlands).

Whileworkon theaccelerator is inprogressatHVE, INFN iscommi9edtoprepareall theotherpartsof thenewfacilityi.e.ashieldedroomfortheacceleratorandtwobeamlines,anundergroundbuildingtohostthecontrolroomand other technical services, all the technological plants. The building has been en%rely designed by the LNGStechnicaldivisionandismostlyfinished,whileallthetechnologicalplantsfortheLUNA-MVfacilityhavebeenini%allydefinedbytheLNGStechnicaldivisionandthendetailedinthefinalandconstruc%vedesignbyanexternalcompany(STAIN srl), selected through a public tender. Given the par%cular loca%on of the future LUNA-MV facility, aQuan%ta%veRiskAnalysisandanAnalysisoftheEnvironmentalImpactoftheinstalla%onhavealsobeencarriedout.

LUNA NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 2, 2017 LUNA.LNGS.INFN.IT 2

3D-CAD layout of the LUNA-MV Singletron system (Sen et al.

NIMB (2018))

31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

A New Investigation of the Neutron Source Reaction 13C(α,n)16O BY ANDREAS BEST AND GIOVANNI CIANI

The13C(α,n)16Oreac%onisthemajorneutronsourceforthe synthesis of heavy elements through the slowneutron capture process. In low-mass AGB stars, thetemperature of interest is around 100–200 MK, whichtranslates into an effec%ve energy range, the Gamowwindow, between approximately 140 and 230 keV. Thereac%onhasbeentheobjectofintenseinves%ga%onoverthe past few decades with both direct and indirectapproaches. However, open ques%ons remain on itsabsolute cross sec%on and its extrapola%on into theGamow window, especially because of the hithertounclearinfluenceofanear-thresholdstatein17O.

At the LUNA 400kV accelerator, we havemeasured the13C(α,n)16O reac%on cross sec%on down to the lowestenergy measured to date, by exploi%ng the strongly suppressed neutron background deep underground. Theexperimental setup is shown in the picture. It includes a purpose-built high-efficiency neutron detector arrayconsis%ngofultra-low intrinsicbackground 3He-counters embedded in ablockofpolyethylene surroundinga 13C-enrichedtarget.Tofurthersuppressthebackground,anovelpulse-shapediscrimina%onanalysisofthesignalsfromthecountershasalsobeendeveloped[1].

Ourpreliminaryresults,showninthefigure,gobeyondthecurrentstate-of-the-artbothintermsoflowestenergyeverachievedbyadirectmeasurement (seeprevious limitestablishedbyDrotleffetal [2]) andhighestprecisionobtained (here about 10%, compared to uncertain%es of up to 50% or higher for data points below 400 keV inpreviousmeasurements).Dataanalysisisongoing,andwearepreparingforafinalbeam%mein2019,pushingtheenergylimitevenfurtherdown.

PUBLICATIONS [1]JBalibreaetal.NIMA906(2018)103[2]Drotleffetal.APJ414(1993)735

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

The 22Ne(a,γ)26Mg reactionBY ANTONIO CACIOLLI

The 22Ne(α,γ)26Mg reac%on (Q-value = 10.6 MeV) is a compe%tor to the 22Ne(α,n)25Mg neutron source for theastrophysical s-process. In the energy range of LUNA400, only 22Ne(α,γ)26Mg is energe%cally accessible: the22Ne(α,n)25Mgchannelopensonlyabovethereac%onthresholdofEα>564keV.Thestudyof 22Ne(α,n)25MgispartoftheLUNA-MVscienceprogram.Thereisapossibleresonancein22Ne(α,γ)26MgatEα=395keV,whichispresentlyonlyconstrainedbyindirectdata,withreportedupperlimitsinthe10-9-10-15eVrange.Ifconfirmedatthe10-9eVlevel,the395keVresonancewouldeffec%velyshutdownthe22Ne(α,n)25Mgneutronsourcefortemperaturesbelow300MK,affec%ngawiderangeofastrophysicals-processscenarios.Usinganenriched22Negastargetandtheexperimentalsetupfromthe22Ne(p,γ)23Naexperimentwiththe4πBGO,ana9empthasbeenmadetoimproveourknowledgeofthisresonance.Apreliminaryanalysisofini%aldatashowsno addi%onal beam-inducedbackground, confirming the sensi%vity of the setup, andno resonance signal. A newshielding of borated polyethylene was added to the setup in April 2018 and preliminary tests show a furtherbackgroundreduc%onduetoneutronsuppressionaroundtheregionof interestforthe22Ne(α,γ)26Mg.Datatakingwillbecompletedinspring2019andthedataanalysisisplannedtoclosebytheendof2019.

Figure.Setupunderconstruc1onwithoutshielding(le6panel)andwithshield(rightpanel)duringalignment.

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

The 22Ne(p,γ)23Na ReactionBY ANTONIO CACIOLLI

The22Ne(p,γ)23Nareac%ontakesplaceaspartoftheneon-sodiumcycleofhydrogenburning,andmayexplaintheobserved an%-correla%on between sodium and oxygen abundances in globular cluster stars. In a previous studyperformed at LUNA, three resonances at Ep = 156.2, 189.5, and 259.7 keV had recently been observed and laterconfirmed by another collabora%on. In a renewed study at LUNA, we have re-measured those three resonancestrengthswithimproveduncertain%esand,inaddi%on,wehavefurtherpushedthedetec%onlimitsontwoputa%veresonancesdowntonegligiblestrengthvaluesforastrophysics.Thankstotheveryhighefficiencyofthepresent4π-BGOsetup[1],wehavebeenabletodirectlymeasurethedirectcapture component of the cross sec%on for the first %me at such low energies and to establish a new updatedthermonuclearreac%onratewithunprecedentedprecision[3].

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

Figure:Thermonuclearreac1onrateforthe22Ne(p,γ)23Nareac1onfrompreviousevalua1onsandfrompreviousexperimentsandthepresentwork[3],normalisedtotherateofHaleetal.[2].

REFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS [1]FFerraroetal.,EPJA54(2018)44[2]Haleetal.,PRC65(2001)015801[3]F.Ferraroetal.,PRL121(2018)172701

Hydrogen Burning and the 18O(p,α)15N reactionBY CARLO BRUNO

The 18O(p,α)15N reac%on influences the abundance of 15N, 18O and 19Fisotopes [1] cri%cal to constrain a wide variety of stellar models. Forexample the O isotopic ra%os observed in asympto%c giant branch (AGB)starsofdifferentmasses[2]canbeusedtoprobethenucleosynthesisandmixing in these stars. Furthermore, the 18O/16Oabundance ra%o is cri%cal[3]inclassifyingstardustoxideandsilicategrainsthatoriginallycondensedin AGB stars, novae and supernovae and can be found preserved inmeteorites.

At energies of astrophysical interest, the reac%on rate of the 18O(p,α)15Nreac%on (Q-value=3.98 MeV) is dominated by a complex interferencepa9ern involving three resonances at approximately Ep=151, 600 and800keV having the same spin-parity Jπ=1/2+. Tensions betweendatasets havebeenreported[4]atrelevantenergiesbelow1MeV.Adirectmeasurementat or close to energies of astrophysical interest is especially challengingbecause of the low cross-sec%ons involved (< 1 nb). An experimental

campaignaimedatmeasuringthecross-sec%onofthe18O(p,α)15Nreac%onintheenergyrangeEp=60-360keVhasrecentlybeencompletedattheLUNA-400acceleratorusingthesamereac%onchambersuccessfullyemployedforthe inves%ga%on of the 17O(p,α)14N reac%on [5,6] show in the figure. Cross-sec%ons lower than 1 pb/sr weremeasured at Ep=60 keV. A mul%-channel R-matrix analysis of our and other data available in the literature wasperformed.Overawidetemperaturerange,T=0.01–1.00GK,ournewastrophysicalrateisbothmoreaccurateandprecisethanrecentevalua%ons.

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

Stronger constraints can now be placed on the physical processes controlling nucleosynthesis in AGB stars withinteres%ngconsequencesontheabundanceof18Ointhesestarsandinstardustgrains,specificallyontheproduc%onsitesofoxygen-richGroupIIgrains.ResultsfromourmeasurementatLUNAhavejustbeenpublished[7].

REFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS [1]M.Lugaroetal.,Astrophys.J.615,934(2004)[2]C.Abiaetal.,Astron.andAstrophys.599,A39(2017)[3]M.Lugaroetal.,NatureAstronomy1,0027(2017)[4]M.LaCognata,etal.,Astrophys.J.723,1512(2010)[5]C.G.Brunoetal.,Eur.Phys.J.A51,94(2015)[6]C.G.Brunoetal.,Phys.Rev.Le9.117,142502(2016)[7]C.G.Brunoetal.,Phys.Le9.B.(2019)inpress(h"ps://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.01.017)

BRIEF UPDATES

Hydrogen Burning and the 18O(p,γ)19F reactionBY GIANLUCA IMBRIANI

Theobserva%onofoxygen isotopes intheatmospheresofgiantstarssheds lightonmixingprocessesopera%ng intheirinteriors.Becauseoftheverystrongcorrela%onbetweennuclearburningandmixingprocesses,itisimportanttoreducetheuncertaintyonthecrosssec%onsofthenuclearreac%onsinvolved.AtLUNA,manyreac%onsrelatedtohydrogenshell-burninghavebeenmeasuredoverthelastfewyears,includingarecent determina%on of the 18O(p,γ)19F reac%on cross sec%on. While the 18O(p,α)15N channel is thought to bedominant,the(p,γ)channelcans%llbeanimportantcomponentinstellarburningingiants,dependingonitscrosssec%onat lowenergies.Sofaronlyextrapola%onsfromhigher-energymeasurementsexistedandrecentes%matesvaried by orders of magnitude. Such large uncertain%es have called for an experimental reinves%ga%on of this

reac%on. To directly reach the lowestenergy to date, we measured the18O(p,γ)19F cross sec%on (Q = 7993.6keV) using a high-efficiency 4π−BGOsummingdetector.Boththelow-energydirect capture and the resonantcontribu%onsweredetermineddirectlyfor the first %me down to 85 keV. Thefigure shows a sum-energy spectrumforthe90keV(Ep=95keV)resonanceclearly showing a gamma-ray peak attheexpectedposi%on.Resultsfromthismeasurements have recently beensubmi9edforpublica%on[1].

PUBLICATIONS [1]A.Bestetal.(2019)underreview

LUNA NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 2, 2017 LUNA.LNGS.INFN.IT 6

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000Energy [keV]

20−10

19−10

18−10

17−10

16−10

15−10

Cou

nts

per c

harg

e [a

.u.]

c.m.Q + E

31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

Hydrogen Burning and the 23Na(p,γ)24Mg reactionBY GIANLUCA IMBRIANI

The23Na(p,γ)24Mgreac%onlinkstheNeNaandtheMgAlcyclesinhydrogenburning.ItplaysasignificantroleintheAsympto%c Giant Branch (AGB) phase of stellar evolu%on, in par%cular formassive and super-massive AGB starswhichexperienceHotBo9omBurning.Attemperaturesof50<T<110MK,narrowresonancesatEp=140and251keVarethemaincontributorstothereac%onrate,inaddi%ontothedirectcapture,whichdominatesinthelowerpartofthetemperaturerange.We have measured the cross sec%on of this reac%on using two complementary approaches: a high-efficiencymeasurementofthe140keVresonancewitha4πBGOdetector,andhigh-resolu%onstudyofthe251keVresonancewithanHPGedetector.ThankstothereducedcosmicraybackgroundatLUNA,wewereabletoobserve,forthefirst%meinadirectmeasurement,asignalfromthe140keVresonance,todeterminetheresonancestrengthofthe251keVresonanceandtoobservenewgamma-raytransi%onsforthedecayofthecorrespondingstatein24MgatEX=11931keV.Asignificantreduc%onintheuncertaintyofthereac%onrateforthetemperaturewindowofinteresthasbeenobtained,which isexpectedtoplayan importantrole inthenucleosynthesisofmassive-AGBandsuper-AGBstars.Resultsfromtherecentlycompleteddataanalysiswillbepublishedsoon.

Figure.Directcapture(DC)andresonantfrac1onalcontribu1onstothereac1onrateasafunc1onoftemperature,assuminganupperlimitforthe144keVresonancestrengthasgivenbyCesaraNoetal.[1](le6panel)or1/10ofthatvalue(rightpanel).

REFERENCES [1]Cesara9oetal.,PRC88(2013)065806

The 6Li(p,γ)7Be reaction and the 6Li Primordial AbundanceBY ROSANNA DEPALO

The6Li(p,γ)7Bereac%ontakespartinBigBangNucleosynthesisandcontributestolithiumdeple%onduringthepre-main sequence phase of stellar evolu%on. Its cross sec%on is poorly constrained at the energies of astrophysicalinterest,especiallysincetheclaimeddiscoveryofaresonanceatcentreofmassenergyof195keV[1].Anewdirectmeasurementofthe6Li(p,γ)7Becrosssec%onwasperformedatLUNA.The6Li+pexcita%onfunc%onwasmeasuredonsix targetsmade of three different compounds: lithiumoxide, lithium tungstate and lithium chloride. The protonbeam energy range between 80 and 400 keV was explored, spanning completely the energy range of the newtenta%veresonance.Inordertoevaluatetheabsolute6Li(p,γ)7Becrosssec%on,thetargetcomposi%onandthicknessshould be accurately known. The targets used for the LUNAmeasurementswere characterized at theHelmholtz-ZentrumDresden-Rossendorf(HZDR)usingtwoindependenttechniques:NuclearReac%onAnalysisandElas%cRecoilDetec%onAnalysis(ERDA).Thedataanalysisiss%llongoing,andresultsareexpectedsoon.

REFERENCES [1]J.J.Heetal.Phys.Le9.B725,287(2013)

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

The 2H(p,γ)3He reaction and the Primordial Deuterium AbundanceBY FRANCESCA CAVANNA

Observedabundancesofprimordialdeuteriumarecurrentlymoreaccuratethantheore%calpredic%ons[1],mainlybecause Big Bang Nucleosynthesis calcula%ons are hampered by the paucity of data for the deuterium burningreac%on 2H(p,γ)3He cross sec%onat the relevantenergies [2].Anewmeasurementwitha few%accuracy is veryimportant to pushdown theBBNuncertainty ondeuteriumabundance to the same level of observa%ons and toeventuallyconstrainpossiblenewphysicseffects:theD/Hra%ois,infact,verysensi%vetothenumberofrela%vis%cdegreesoffreedomNeffandcanthereforecontributetose9le%ghtboundsonthenumberofequivalentneutrinoflavours.AtLUNA,wehaveundertakenalongcampaigntomeasurethe2H(p,γ)3Hecrosssec%ondirectlyatBBNenergies(30-300keV,in30-50keVsteps).Theexperimenttookplaceintwophases,usingaBGOsetupforhighefficiencyandanHPGedetectorforhighresolu%on,respec%vely[3,4].Thedatatakinghasjustbeencompletedandweexpectini%alpublica%onsbytheendof2019.Staytuned!

Figure.Samplespectrumobtainedatprotonbeamenergyof150keVwiththeBGOdetectorsetup.

REFERENCES [1]R.J.Cookeetal.,AstrophysicalJournal855,102(2018)[2]L.Maetal.,Phys.Rev.C55,558(1997)[3]V.Mossa,PhDthesis,BariUniversity(2017)[4]F.Ferraroetal.,EuropeanPhysicalJournalA,54,44(2018)

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Denise Piatti

Hometown: Piazzatorre, a wonderful village located on theBergamopre-Alps(Italy,ofcourse!)

EducaDon:PhDinPhysicsattheUniversityofPadua(Italy)

Current PosiDon: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, INFN of Padua(Italy)

What is the focus of your research? How much %me do wehave…?

Presently, I amworking on two different projects at LUNA. First,thestudyofthe22Ne(α,γ)26Mgreac%onatthegas-targetsta%onofLUNA 400kV, where we are inves%ga%ng the poorly constrained395 keV resonance. The ini%al data taking campaign is nowcomplete and I am working at the data analysis. A secondcampaign is planned with an improved experimental setup.Second, I am focussed on the study of the 6Li(p,γ)7Be reac%on. I

took part in all experimental phases, from target prepara%on at the Na%onal Laboratories of Legnaro, to targetcharacterisa%onatHelmholtz-ZentrumDresden-RossendorfLaboratories,todatatakingatLUNA.NowIamworkingatextrac%ngtheexperimentalSfactorfromourdata.

WhatdoyoulikemostaboutLUNA?

I like the fact that LUNA was a pioneering project in Nuclear Astrophysics. I also like the fact that the LUNAcollabora%onhasmembersfromalloverEuropeandwehelpeachotherthebestwecanduringexperimentsatGranSassno and during the data analysis, for which we share complementary experience, exper%se and facili%es.Something fascina%ng is also that every day at LUNA is different: oneday you aremoun%ng the setupwith yourkneesonthefloororyourarmsholdingleadbricks,andanotherdayyouaresi�nginyourofficeanalysingdata.

HowdoyouspendyourfreeDme?I lovetravellingandifI’mnot,I’mplanningforthenexttrip!Butthisisnotanevery-dayhobby. I likedoing sportandcooking. I also lovePadua,walkingor ridingmybike through its streets isalwaysasurprisingexperience.

Whatareyourgoalsforthefuture?Itishardtosay.Lifeissoo�enunpredictableandhavinglongtermgoalsmaynotbethebestwaytoproceed.ButIhavesomehopesformyfutureanddoingresearchinNuclearAstrophysicsisdefinitelyoneofthem!

LUNA NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 2, 2017 LUNA.LNGS.INFN.IT 9

31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT

PublicationsJANUARY 2018 - DECEMBER 2018

• ABoeltzigetal.Improvedbackgroundsuppressionforradia1vecapturereac1onsatLUNAwithHPGeandBGOdetectorsJournalofPhysicsG:NuclearandParDclePhysics45(2018)025203

• F Ferraro et al. A high-efficiency gas target setup for underground experiments, and redetermina1on of thebranchingra1oofthe189.5keV22Ne(p,γ)23NaresonanceEuropeanPhysicalJournal-A54(2018)44

• F Cavanna et al. Erratum: Three New Low-Energy Resonances in the 22Ne(p,γ)23Na Reac1on [PRL 115, 252501(2015)]PhysicalReviewLe"ers120,239901(E)(2018)

•DBemmereretal.Effectofbeamenergystragglingonresonantyieldinthingastargets:Thecases22Ne(p,γ)23Naand14N(p,γ)15OEurophysicsLe"ers122,52001(2018)(EditorChoice)

• FFerraroetal.DirectCaptureCrossSec1onandtheEp=71and105keVResonancesinthe22Ne(p,γ)23NaReac1onPhysicalReviewLe"ers121,172701(2018)

Invited TalksJANUARY 2018 - DECEMBER 2018

• MAlio9a,ChETECSummerSchool,10-20April2018,Bucarest(Romania)• MAlio9a,EuropeanNuclearPhysicsConference,2-7September2018,Bologna(Italy)• CBroggini,Fron%ersResearchinAstrophysics,28May-2June2018,Mondello(Italy)• CGBruno,41stSymposiumonNuclearPhysics,8-11January2018,Cocoyoc(Mexico)• CGBruno,EuropeanNuclearPhysicsConference,2-7September2018,Bologna(Italy)• ACaciolli,5thInterna%onalSolarNeutrinoConference,11-14June2018,Dresden(Germany)• ACaciolli,Carpa%anSummerSchoolofPhysics,1-14July2018,Sinaia(Romania)• RDepalo,13thinterna%onalconferenceonnucleus-nucleuscollisions,4-8December2018,Saitama(Japan)• AGuglielme�,5thInterna%onalSolarNeutrinoConference,11-14June2018,Dresden(Germany)• AGuglielme�,SocietàItalianadiFisica,17-21September2018,Rende(Italy)• CGustavino,56thInterna%onalWinterMee%ngonNuclearPhysics,23-28January2018,Bormio(Italy)• CGustavino,Fron%ersObjectsinAstrophysicsandPar%clePhysics,20-26May2018,Vulcano(Italy)• GImbriani,5thInterna%onalSolarNeutrinoConference,11-14June2018,Dresden(Germany)• PPra%,XVNucleiintheCosmosConference,24-29June2018,Assergi(Italy)• OStraniero,Fron%ersObjectsinAstrophysicsandPar%clePhysics,20-26May2018,Vulcano(Italy)

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

CONGRATULATIONS TO…

CarloBruno(UniversityofEdinburgh,UK)forwinningthe2015-2017EuropeanPhysicalSocietyNuclearPhysicsPhDthesisprize,awardedtothebestthreePhDthesesinNuclearPhysicsinEuropein2015-2017

GiovanniCiani(GranSassoScienceIns%tute,Italy)forsuccessfullydefendingherPhDthesisonCrosssec1onofthe13C(a,n)16Oreac1onatlowenergiesinJanuary2019.

FedericoFerraro (UniversityofGenoa, Italy) forwinningthe INFNVilliPrizeawardedtothebest thesis inNuclearPhysicsin2017.

VivianaMossa(UniversityofBari,Italy)forsuccessfullydefendingherPhDthesisonStudyofthe2H(p,γ)3Hereac1onintheBigBangnucleosynthesisenergyinMarch2018.

Francesca Pantaleo (University of Bari, Italy) for successfully defending her PhD thesis on Direct cross sec1onmeasurementofthe18O(p,γ)19Freac1onatLUNAinMarch2018.

DenisePia_(UniversityofPadua,Italy)forsuccessfullydefendingherPhDthesis(summacumlaude)onTheStudyof22Ne(a,γ)26Mgand6Li((p,γ)7BeReac1onsatLUNAinDecember2018.

JOB OPPORTUNITIESInterestedinworkingwithusatLUNA?Pleaseconsiderthefollowingopportuni%esforPhDstudentshipsandPost-Doctoral Fellowships. These are typically highly selec%ve interna%onal compe%%ons and normally require strongacademicrecordsand,inthecaseofpost-doctoraljobs,provenresearchexperienceandleadershippoten%al.Ifyouthinkyoumeettheserequirements,pleasegetintouchtodiscussthingsfurther.

PhD Studentships• GRANSASSOSCIENCE INSTITUTE (GSSI, Italy). Calls for applica%onsare issuedoncea year, typically inApril.

Studentshipsare for3years,which includeaone-year compulsorya9endance to training courses. Successfulapplicantswillreceiveagrosss%pendof€16,200/year.Accommoda%onandmealsinL’Aquilaareprovidedfreeofcharge.Forfurtherdetails,pleasevisit:h"p://gssi.infn.it

Ifinterestedinapplying,pleasecontact:DrAlbaFormicola(alba.formicola@lngs.infn.it)

• SCOTTISH UNIVERSITY PHYSICS ALLIANCE (SUPA, UK). Calls for applica%ons are issued once a year, withdeadlineat theendof January. Studentshipsare typically for3.5yearswitha s%pendofabout£12,000/yearwithaddi%onalfundsforfieldwork.Forfurtherdetails,pleasevisit:h"p://apply.supa.ac.uk/apply

Ifinterestedinapplying,pleasecontact:ProfMarialuisaAlio9a(m.alio"a@ed.ac.uk)

Inaddi%on,pleasenotethatPhDscholarshipsareawardedonceayearatmostItalianuniversi%es.Callsarenormallypublished inthesummer. Ifyouare interested inapplyingforastudentshipstoworkatLUNApleaserefertoPhDposi%ons available at the followinguniversi%es: Bari,Genova,Milano,Napoli, Padova, Torino.Alterna%vely, get intouchwithamemberoftheLUNACollabora%onbasedatanyofthoseins%tu%ons(seeluna.lngs.infn.itforthefulllistofLUNAmembers).

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31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

Post-Doctoral Positions and Fellowships• INFNPOST-DOCTORALFELLOWSHIPSFOREXPERIMENTALPHYSICS(ITALY).Thesefellowshipsarefornon-Italian

ci%zensonly.EligibleapplicantsmustholdaPhD%tle(orequivalent)obtainedbynomorethan8yearspriortothecalldeadline(typicallyinNovember).Time-limitextensionsapply.Thefellowshipisini%allyforoneyearwiththe possibility for a second-year extension. Annual gross salary is €36,000. For further details, please visit:h"ps://reclutamento.infn.it/ReclutamentoOnline/#!bandi/FELLOWSHIP

Ifinterestedinapplying,pleasecontactanyoftheINFNmembersoftheLUNACollabora%on

• ROYAL SOCIETYNEWTON INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS (UK). The schemeprovides the opportunity for thebest early stage post-doctoral researchers from all over theworld towork at UK research ins%tu%ons for aperiodoftwoyears.EligiblecandidatesshouldhavecompletedtheirPhDbythe%mefundingstarts.Theyshouldhavenomorethan7yearsofacDvefullDmepostdoctoralexperienceatthe%meofapplica%on.Applicantsarenormally agreed with the host ins%tu%on (in this case, the School of Physics and Astronomy - University ofEdinburgh)well inadvanceofthe intendeddeadline.NewtonFellowships last for2years.Fundingconsistsof£24,000perannumforsubsistencecosts,andupto£8,000perannumresearchexpenses,aswellasaone-offpaymentofupto£2,000forreloca%onexpenses.Applica%onroundsaretypicallyinMarchandSeptember.Forfurtherdetails,pleasevisit:h"ps://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/newton-internaDonal/

Ifinterestedinapplying,pleasecontact:ProfMarialuisaAlio9a(m.alio"a@ed.ac.uk)

• ROYAL SOCIETY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FELLOWS (UK). The scheme provides the opportunity to build anindependent research career. Those appointed are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts inuniversi%esattheendoftheirfellowships.TheFellowshipsarefor5yearswithapossible3yearextension.Thebasicsalary,commensuratewiththeapplicant’sskills,responsibili%es,exper%seandexperience,canbeuptoamaximumof£39,708.70perannum.EligiblecandidatesmustpossesaPhD%tleandbetween3-8yearsofpost-doctoral research experience by the applica%on deadline. Applica%ons are normally agreed with the hostins%tute(inthiscase,theSchoolofPhysicsandAstronomy-UniversityofEdinburgh).Shortlistedapplicantswillbe invited for interview at the Royal Society in early-mid April. For further details, please visit: h"ps://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/university-research/

Ifinterestedinapplying,pleasecontact:ProfMarialuisaAlio9a(m.alio"a@ed.ac.uk)

• STFCERNESTRUTHERFORDFELLOWSHIPS(UK).Thesearehighlypres%giousandhighlycompe%%vefellowshipsthat may lead to permanent academic posts. The Fellowships are for 5 years with a typical salary of£33,000-35,000/year(dependingonlevelofexperience).Eligiblecandidatesmusthave5yearsofpostgraduateresearchexperience,withnormally aminimumof2 yearsofpost-doctoral experience.Applica%onsMUSTbeagreedwith the host ins%tute (in this case, the School of Physics and Astronomy - University of Edinburgh),where a pre-selec%on based on CV and a dra� research plan takes place by the end of August each year.Selectedapplicantswill have to submit a full researchproposal to STFC for further considera%on.CandidateswhopasstheSTFCpre-selec%onprocess inJanuarywillbe invitedfor interviews inSwindon(UK) inFebruary.PostsnormallystartinSeptember.Forfurtherdetails,pleasevisit:h"p://www.skc.ac.uk/funding/fellowships/ernest-rutherford-fellowship/

Ifinterestedtoapply,pleasecontact:ProfMarialuisaAlio9a(m.alio"a@ed.ac.uk)

Pleasenotethataddi%onalopportuni%esmayarisefrom%meto%mewithinindividualgroupsoftheCollabora%on.Forupdates,pleaseconsulttheJobOpportuni%espageattheCollabora%onwebsiteath"p://luna.lngs.infn.it

LUNA NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 2, 2017 LUNA.LNGS.INFN.IT 12

31 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 3

THE COLLABORATION - CONTACT US

The LUNA Collaboration comprises about 40 researchers from the following Institutions:

• INFN, Assergi LNGS, Lecce, Roma (Italy)

• GSSI, L’Aquila (Italy)

• Universities and INFN of Bari, Genova, Milano, Napoli, Padova, Torino

(Italy)

• Konkoly Observatory, Budapest (Hungary)

• MTA ATOMKI, Debrecen (Hungary)

• HZDR, Dresden (Germany)

• University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (UK)

• Osservatorio Astronomico di Collurania, Teramo (Italy)

LUNA Editorial Board: Marialuisa Aliotta (Chair), Andreas Best, Oscar Straniero, Sandra Zavatarelli

Foranyques%onaboutLUNA,orifyouareinterestedinjoiningtheCollabora%on,pleasecontacttheLUNASpokesperson:ProfPaoloPra%(paolo.praD@ge.infn.it)

Foranyques%onaboutthisNewsle9er,pleasecontacttheChairoftheEditorialBoard:ProfMarialuisaAlio9a(m.alio"a@ed.ac.uk)

LUNA NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 2, 2017 LUNA.LNGS.INFN.IT 13