A Statistical Method for Determining Stellar Reaction Cross Sections

The ²²Ne(p,γ)²³Na reaction may have a significant effect on the surface abundance of sodium in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. The rate of this reaction can be calculated using the angular momentum results from the ²²Ne(³He,d)²³Na cross section. We measured the ²²Ne(³He,d)²³Na cross section and used Bayesian statistics and Monte Carlo methods to determine uncertainties for angular momentum fitting parameters. We also used chi-squared tests and the overlap coefficient to quantify the impact of those uncertainties. We will present our findings and discuss their impact on the ²²Ne(p,γ)²³Na reaction rate.