Astrophysical S-factor of 14N(p, γ)15O

We report on a new measurement of the N-14(p, gamma) O-15 capture cross section at E-p = 140 to 400 keV using the 400 kV LUNA accelerator facility at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). The uncertainties have been reduced with respect to previous measurements and their analysis. We have analyzed the data using the R-matrix method and we find that the ground state transition accounts for about 15% of the total S-factor. The main contribution to the S-factor is given by the transition to the 6.79 MeV state. We find a total S(0) = 1.7 +/- 0.2 keV b, in agreement with recent extrapolations. The result has important consequences for the solar neutrino spectrum as well as for the age of globular clusters. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.