TOTAL CROSS-SECTIONS AND THERMONUCLEAR REACTION-RATES FOR BE-9(ALPHA,N)C-12

The Be-9(alpha,n)C-12 reaction determines the rate for neutron-catalyzed helium burning and thus plays an important role in supernovae ejecta under alpha- and n-rich conditions which may lead to the r process. Cross sections for this reaction have been measured for 0.16 less-than-or-equal-to E(c.m.) less-than-or-equal-to 1.87 MeV using a 4pi neutron detector, and are used to calculate the thermonuclear reaction rates for temperatures between 0.1 and 10 GK. During these measurements, the thick-target yields were determined for 0.50 less-than-or-equal-to E(alpha) less-than-or-equal-to 2.30 MeV, the stopping powers for alpha's in beryllium determined for 0.24 less-than-or-equal-to E(alpha) less-than-or-equal-to 2.12 MeV, and the Be-9(p,p) elastic scattering cross sections measured at theta(lab) = 142.4-degrees for 2.34 less-than-or-equal-to E(p) less-than-or-equal-to 2.66 MeV.