Studying The Heavy-Ion Fusion Reactions At Stellar Energies Using Time Projection Chamber

Heavy-ion fusion reactions, such as C-12+C-12, play crucial roles in stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis in massive stars. However, limited by the low cross section and large background, it is very challenging to study the reactions at stellar energies. We have developed a 1024-channel prototype TPC named MATE (Multipurpose time projection chamber for nuclear AsTrophysical and Exotic beam experiments) to study these reactions at stellar energies. The design of our prototype TPC and its performance are described, and the preliminary results of a commissioning experiment for measuring the C-12(C-12, alpha(0))Ne-20 reaction at E-cm = 3.0 MeV are presented. Perspectives of future experiments for the C-12+C-12 fusion cross section measurement are also provided.