Measurement of near-threshold resonance properties in 9B for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis*

The primordial abundance of lithium constitutes the largest discrepancy between the observation of primordial elements and the expectations from Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (SBBN). However, this assumes that the nuclear reactions which could potentially destroy mass-7 nuclei are known to sufficient precision. One of the reactions in question is $^7Be+d \rightarrow 2\alpha + p$. The relevance of the rate for this reaction in SBBN conditions hinges upon the properties of resonances close to the deuteron decay threshold in $^9B$. Using the Super Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph (SESPS) and the Silicon Array for Branching Ratio Experiments (SABRE) at Florida State University, a measurement of $^{10}B(^3He, \alpha)^9B \rightarrow ^7Be+d$ was performed to determine resonance properties of $^9B$ states in the region of interest for SBBN. Results and impact on SBBN will be discussed.