The Be7(p,gamma)B8 cross section and the properties of Be7

We study the nonresonant part of the $^7$Be($p,\gamma$)$^8$B reaction using a three-cluster resonating group model that is variationally converged and virtually complete in the $^4$He+$^3$He+$p$ model space. The importance of using adequate nucleon-nucleon interaction is demonstrated. We find that the low-energy astrophysical $S$-factor is linearly correlated with the quadrupole moment of $^7$Be. A range of parameters is found where the most important $^7$Be and $^7$Li properties are reproduced simultaneously; the corresponding $S$-factor at $E_{\rm cm}=20$ keV is $24.6-26.1$ eV$\cdot$b.