Four-body neutron-recoil recombination reaction as an alternative path for bridging the A = 5, 8 gap in neutron-rich nucleosynthesis scenarios

Abstract

In neutron-rich nucleosynthesis scenarios the mass gaps A = 5, 8 are assumed to be bridged by threebody electromagnetic recombination reaction α(αn, γ) 9Be. We suggest an alternative path: the nuclear four-body neutron-recoil recombination reaction α(αnn, n) 9Be. A qualitative estimate of the reaction rate for the alternative reaction shows that for higher neutron densities the rate is comparable with the electromagnetic rate.