Break-up array for light nuclei: A new tool for exploring nuclear reactions of relevance to the cosmological ⁷Li problem

The disagreement between observed ⁷Li abundances in metal-poor halo stars and primordial ⁷Li abundances predicted in Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) calculations has presented a challenge to the astrophysics community for some time. The absence of a clear astrophysical explanation of this problem has reignited a search for a possible nuclear solution. The Nuclear Reaction Dynamics group at the Australian National University has recently developed the Break-up Array for LIght Nuclei (BALIN), a new highly pixelated detector array capable of providing the most complete picture of nuclear reactions leading to the breakup of light nuclei. First measurements with this array have already yielded surprising new information about the breakup dynamics of sub-barrier collisions between ^6,7Li and ²⁰⁸Pb. Results from these measurements are presented as a demonstration of the array's capabilities. Possible implications for reactions of relevance to BBN will be explored in the future.